Farm Advisors Champion Cover Crop Adoption — And Farmers Are Listening
Farm advisors, especially those who farm themselves, hold a unique influence when it comes to broader cover crop adoption. Equipped with both personal and on-the-job experience and respect among farmers, their advocacy drives higher adoption rates.
Warranty Pilot Program Limits Regenerative Agriculture Risks
Concerns about a potential economic hit have slowed adoption rates of regenerative ag practices like cover crops and rotational grazing among farmers and ranchers. But an innovative warranty pilot project in Iowa and the Chesapeake Bay area designed to limit risks could pave the way for a paradigm shift.
Keep Fields Covered to Protect Yields from Erosion
Rick Cruse, Ph.D., director of the Iowa Water Center, encourages Iowa farmers to use 4R Plus practices to protect yields.
New Horizons for Conservation in Agriculture
Cows and cover crops are helping produce a renewable fuel source on Bryan Sievers’s Scott County, Iowa, farm. He’s using anaerobic digesters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon. And now, through a USDA-funded project, he’s demonstrating how other farms can do the same.
Poll Shows Majority of Iowa Farmers Influenced by 4R Plus Practices
The Iowa Farm and Rural Life poll shows a majority of farmers are being influenced by the 4R Plus program to adopt nutrient stewardship and conservation practices to help Iowa reach its nutrient reduction goals.
Agronomists, conservation professionals invited to cover crop workshop in Ames
Join us at the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI)’s free event this June, Cover Iowa: Agronomists in the Know Workshop, to learn and share information about cover crops, reduced tillage, extended rotation, and more.
Working Smarter, Not Harder, to Reap Benefits of Soil Conservation Practices in North-Central Iowa
This fifth-generation farmer uses soil conservation practices to improve soil structure and fine-tune his fertility program. While it takes a lot of patience and planning, benefits such as savings on fuel, fertilizer and time have him convinced it’s a worthy system.
A Love for the Land and Livestock Drives Conservation Decisions
When it comes to improving crop and pasture ground, Justin Robbins of Greene County isn’t one to follow the herd. He’s willing to do what it takes to protect the environment and improve his land.