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Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science

Tractor disking field

September 10, 2024

Nebraska Field Experiments Investigate Biochar Impact to Soil Health and Crop Yields

By Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Cody Creech - Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist, Amanda Easterly - Research Assistant Professor, Rhae Drijber – Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Elizabeth S. Jeske - Department of Agronomy and Horticulture Research Technologist

Cattle grazing cornstalks

June 8, 2023

Short-term Livestock Grazing Impacts on Crop and Soil Properties from an Eastern Nebraska Experiment

By Alyssa Hall - Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Lindsey Anderson - USDA NRCS, Daren Redfearn - Associate Professor Agronomy, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science

Eroded field

April 29, 2021

Does Grazing Cover Crops Negatively Impact Soil and Crop Yields?

By Lindsey Anderson, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Mary Drewnoski - Beef Systems Specialist, Jim MacDonald - Associate Professor in Animal Science

Soil samples

April 28, 2021

Can Cover Crops Offset the Negative Impacts of Corn Silage?

By Lindsey Anderson, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Mary Drewnoski - Beef Systems Specialist, Jim MacDonald - Associate Professor in Animal Science

tractor filling a field

January 21, 2020

Strategic Tillage for the Improvement of No-Till Cropping Systems

By Charles Wortmann - Emeritus Extension Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science

Cover crop field trial

March 11, 2019

Cover Crops and Carbon Sequestration: Benefits to the Producer and the Planet

By Julie McDowell - B.S. Candidate at Tulane University and 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Integrated Agronomic Systems Intern, Sabrina Ruis - Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science

Rye in continuous corn April 19, 2018 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Education Center near Mead

March 11, 2019

How Does Cover Crop Planting Date Affect Soil’s Susceptibility to Water Erosion?

By Emma Richmond-Boudewyns - B.S. Candidate at the University of Delaware and 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Integrated Agronomic Systems Intern, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Sabrina Ruis - Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Julie McDowell - B.S. Candidate at Tulane University and 2018 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Integrated Agronomic Systems Intern

Cattle grazing cover crops

January 22, 2019

Cover Crop Grazing: Impacts on Soils and Crop Yields

By Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Mary Drewnoski - Beef Systems Specialist, Jim MacDonald - Associate Professor in Animal Science, Daren Redfearn - Extension Forage Crop Residue Specialist, Jay Parsons - Farm and Ranch Management Specialist, Gary Lesoing - Former Extension Educator, Tyler Williams - Former Cropping Systems Extension Educator

Comparison of aboveground biomass amounts and total N when using hairy vetch or cereal rye as cover crops.

January 9, 2019

Cover Crops Benefit Nebraska Agroecosystems In Many Ways

By Katja Koehler-Cole - Extension Educator, Roger Elmore - Emeritus Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Chris Proctor - Weed Management Extension Educator, Sabrina Ruis - Post-Doctoral Associate, Surabhi Gupta - Doctoral Student in Entomology, Charles Francis - Professor of Agronomy, Charles Shapiro - Former Extension Soil Scientist—Crop Nutrition

Figure 1. A view of all four treatments of a corn residue and cover crop experiment at the South Central Agricultural Laboratory near Clay Center. Top left is cereal rye with 60% corn residue removal; top right is cereal with corn residue. Bottom left is no cereal rye with 60% corn residue removal; bottom right is corn residue and no cover crop (control).

August 13, 2018

Cover Crop and Crop Residue Management: How Does it Affect Soil Water in the Short and Long Term?

By Michael Sindelar - Former Cropping Systems Extension Educator, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Virginia Jin - USDA ARS Research Soil Scientist, Richard Ferguson - Extension Soil Fertility Specialist

CO2 sensor in rye cover crop

February 26, 2018

Cover Crop and CO2 Emissions

By Sabrina Ruis - Post-Doctoral Associate, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Charles Wortmann - Emeritus Extension Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist, Virginia Jin - USDA ARS Research Soil Scientist, Tyler Williams - Former Cropping Systems Extension Educator

Taking CO2 measurements in plots where residue has been baled

February 26, 2018

Corn Residue Removal and CO2 Emissions

By Manbir Rakkar - Doctoral Student, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Charles Wortmann - Emeritus Extension Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist, Tyler Williams - Former Cropping Systems Extension Educator, Virginia Jin - USDA ARS Research Soil Scientist

Figure 1. Aerial imagery was collected at bean emergence using a drone. All dark green rows correspond to plots with different rates of char (10, 20, 30, 40, and 60 tons/acre).

February 22, 2018

Coal Combustion Residue: A Potential Soil Amendment

By Bijesh Maharjan - Extension Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Cody Creech - Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist, Nevin Lawrence - Integrated Weed Management Specialist

Figure 1. Early-planted rye on the left and late-planted rye on the right in a research study at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead.

September 7, 2017

Cover Crop Productivity In Corn And Soybean Systems

By Katja Koehler-Cole - Research Assistant Professor in Agronomy and Horticulture, Roger Elmore - Emeritus Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist, Charles Shapiro - Extension Soil Scientist—Crop Nutrition, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science

Field trials comparing early and late planted rye cover crop

November 29, 2016

Implementation of Cover Crops in Corn and Soybean Systems in Nebraska

By Katja Koehler-Cole - Research Assistant Professor in Agronomy and Horticulture, Roger Elmore - Emeritus Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Charles Francis - Professor of Agronomy, Charles Shapiro - Extension Soil Scientist—Crop Nutrition, Tim Shaver - Extension Nutrient Management Specialist, Matt Stockton - Agricultural Economist, Richard Ferguson - Extension Soil Fertility Specialist, Suat Irmak – Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Derek Heeren - Irrigation Engineer

Figure 1: Early-planted rye (left) and late-planted rye before corn at Concord, April 22, 2016.

August 11, 2016

Biomass Production of Winter Annual Cover Crops in Corn and Soybean

By Katja Koehler-Cole - Research Assistant Professor in Agronomy and Horticulture, Roger Elmore - Emeritus Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist, Humberto Blanco - Professor of Soil Science, Chuck Francis - Professor of Agronomy, Derek Heeren - Irrigation Engineer, Suat Irmak – Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, Chris Proctor - Weed Management Extension Educator, Charles Shapiro - Extension Soil Scientist—Crop Nutrition, Tim Shaver - Extension Nutrient Management Specialist, Matt Stockton - Agricultural Economist