Trusted advisors can help guide cover crop policy, research and training by taking the survey and earn a chance to receive one of three $100 gift cards.
WEST LAFAYETTE, IND., October 1, 2024—A new cover crop survey by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC),USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, andAmerican Seed Trade Association (ASTA) is gathering insights on cover crops from crop consultants, seed dealers, ag retailers, conservation planners, and others who help guide farmers in their decision-making. The American SoybeanAssociation has also contributed funding ... more. |
Cover crop Survey
Click here to read the insight from nearly 1,200 commodity and horticultural crop farmers from across the country on why they do—or don't—use cover crops. Among the highlights of this year's survey results include data on the performance of cover crops during the extremely wet 2019 planting season, including effects on planting date and prevent plant claims, as w ... more. |
2022-2023Cover Crop Survey
Click here to open the report on insights from 795 farmers representing 49 states, including commodity crop, horticulture and livestock producers. The 2022-2023 survey introduced new questions on integrating livestock into cover crop systems, as well as growing cover crops for seed and participating in soil carbon programs.
Findings in the seventh National Cover Crop Survey from ... more. |
For More Information Contact:
Callie North, CTIC (north@ctic.org); (317) 450-9137
Rob Myers, University of Missouri (myersrob@missouri.edu); 573-882-1547 or
Bethany Shively, ASTA (bshively@betterseed.org); (703) 837-8140 x332
NEW COVER CROP SURVEY DATA CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS
National survey finds incentive payments boost cover crops, while 9 in 10 farmers intend to stick with cover crops after payments end
(August 8, 2023)—A new national cover crop survey report released today challenges assumptions on the role of incentive payments in cover crop adopt ... more. |
Insight from 2,020 farmers from across the country found that the planted acreage of cover crops continued its steady rise - reaching an average of 298 acres per farm in 2015 and projected to grow to a mean of 339 acres in 2016. Those figures are more than double the acreage survey participants said they planted in 2011.
After cover crops, corn yields rose an average 3.4 bushels per acre, or 1.9 percent, after cover crops, and soybean yields increased 1.5 bushels per acre, or 2.8 pe ... more. |
Cover crops offer a wide range of benefits to farmers, from erosion control to soil building to capturing nutrients and holding them in the root zone over the winter. As interest in cover crops continues to grow, it’s important to understand the trends, opportunities and challenges surrounding these important tools. Insight from farmers who use cover crops—or from those who haven’t yet mad ... more. |
... "planting green" into living cover crops, using cover crops for weed control, and the impact of cover crops on cash crop planting dates during the wet spring of 2019. This year's survey included strings of questions for both commodity/row crop growers and producers of horticulture crops.
On Wednesday, August 19 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern/9:00 a.m. Central, the data and 2020 National Cover Crop Survey report will be introduced to the press in a presentation and Q&A session. Click here to register for the press conference.
The survey was created and funded by the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and American Seed Trade Association (ASTA). Representatives of all three groups will participate in the press conferen ... more. |
Hi -
Thank you to the nearly 2,000 farmers who have already responded to the 2020 SARE/CTIC/ASTA Cover Crop Survey. The survey will close on Monday, April 13th. We plan post a report describing results at www.ctic.org by early July.
If you haven't already, please share your insight on cover crops, atbit.ly/CCSurvey2020. Your answers on previous surveys have helped scientists, conservation farming partners, crop consultants, policymakers and others understand how cover crops are us ... more. |
SHARE YOUR INSIGHT IN SARE/CTIC/ASTA COVER CROP SURVEY
Farmer insights are now being sought for the sixth nationwide cover crop survey by USDA's SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) program, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).
The online questionnaire is now open at https://bit.ly/CCSurvey2020.
The survey takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. ... more. |
Click here to view the full report of the fifth annual cover crop survey. A big thank you to the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), with help from Penton Media through their Corn and Soybean Digest publication. For results from previous years, please see below.
The fifth annual cover crop survey by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the Conservat ... more. |
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and CTIC conducted the first cover crop user survey. More than 750 farmers from across the U.S. completed the survey, representing hundreds of thousands of acres of cover crops and drawing on cover cropping experience that goes back as far as 1948. The 2012 crop year was a challenging one in which to study yield impacts – much of the U.S. was impacted by drought, which pushed national per-acre corn production estimates down ... more. |
... was a follow-up to a smaller survey in 2012-2013 (see below). Results show a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans, data on the costs of seed and establishment, the challenges and benefits farmers expect from cover crops and insight into how farmers learn to manage cover crops. Read the full report. See the news release for highlights.
Results from the 2013 SARE/CTIC Cover Crop Survey were cited by USDA NRCS Chief Jason Weller in testimony on Capitol Hill. Our survey was also referenced in a New York Times Article - "Cover Crops, a Farming Revolution with Deep Roots in the Past."
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A survey of more than 1,200 farmers across the country revealed that cover crops boosted corn yields last year by a mean of 3.66 bushels per acre (2.1%) and increased soybeans by an average of 2.19 bushels per acre (4.2%)—the third year in a row a yield increase following cover crops was recorded by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Cover Crop Survey. Read the full report.
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Insight from 2,020 farmers from across the country found that the planted acreage of cover crops continued its steady rise - reaching an average of 298 acres per farm in 2015 and projected to grow to a mean of 339 acres in 2016. Those figures are more than double the acreage survey participants said they planted in 2011.
After cover crops, corn yields rose an average 3.4 bushels per acre, or 1.9 percent, after cover crops, and soybean yields increased 1.5 bushels per acre, or 2.8 pe ... more. |
A big thank you to the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), with help from Penton Media through their Corn and Soybean Digest publication. For results from previous years, please see below.
The fifth annual cover crop survey by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) draws on the insight of 2,102 farmers—88 percentof whom reported using cover crops and 12 percent who identified themselves as non-users—from across the U.S. Cereal rye remained the top choice of farmers for cover cropping, followed by oats and radish. S ... more. |
... to measure at the county level the type of tillage used by crop.
View the available online data collected from 1989 thru 2011.
Learn More
OpTIS Data
The Operational Tillage Information System has been developed by Applied Geo Solutions and CTIC as a method for the automated use of remote sensing data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems.
Learn More
Cover Crop Survey
As interest in cover crops continues to grow, it’s important to understand the trends, opportunities and challenges surrounding these important tools. Insight from farmers who use cover crops is vital for fellow farmers, as well as for crop advisors, conservation specialists and policymakers.
Learn More
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Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and CTIC conducted the first cover crop user survey. More than 750 farmers from across the U.S. completed the survey, representing hundreds of thousands of acres of cover crops and drawing on cover cropping experience that goes back as far as 1948. The 2012 crop year was a challenging one in which to study yield impacts – much of the U.S. was impacted by drought, which pushed national per-acre corn production estimates down ... more. |
... the survey, which was a follow-up to a smaller survey in 2012-2013 (see below). Results show a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans, data on the costs of seed and establishment, the challenges and benefits farmers expect from cover crops and insight into how farmers learn to manage cover crops. See the news releasefor highlights.
Results from the 2013 SARE/CTIC Cover Crop Survey were cited by USDA NRCS Chief Jason Weller in testimony on Capitol Hill. Our survey was also referenced in a New York Times Article - "Cover Crops, a Farming Revolution with Deep Roots in the Past."
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A survey of more than 1,200 farmers across the country revealed that cover crops boosted corn yields last year by a mean of 3.66 bushels per acre (2.1%) and increased soybeans by an average of 2.19 bushels per acre (4.2%)—the third year in a row a yield increase following cover crops was recorded by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Cover Crop Survey.
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Click here to take the survey online for a chance to win a $100 gift card! Whether you plant them now, used to plant them or never tried… your insight is important. Your opinions will help guide policy, research and education on cover crops nationwide..
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Make a difference! Take our SARE/CTIC Cover Crop Survey and share your thoughts on cover crops. You’ll help guide cover crop research, and be eligible for a $100 gift card drawing!
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The 2013-2014 CTIC and SARE national survey of farmers has documented a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans, as well as a wide variety of other benefits.
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... of information on conservation agriculture. Click on one of the themes below to browse our site, or look for a particular practice or place in the search bar.
Ag Consultant Resources
Bees and Pollinators
Buffer Strips
Community Organizing
Conservation Tillage
Conservation Practices—Adoption
Crop Residue Management (CRM) Survey
Drainage Water Management
Cover Crops
Cover Crop Survey
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Demonstration Projects
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Grazing and Rangeland
Hypoxia
Know Your Watershed
Leadership
Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI)
No-Till
National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS)
National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI)
Nutrient Management
Operational Tillage Assessment System (OpTIS)
Pasture
... more. |
... resource for grabbing a snapshot of land use practices or delving into trends.
Check it out
Become a Member
By becoming a member of CTIC, you'll be connected to a world of people from government, academia, agribusiness, the supply chain, and the farm who are committed to practical, productive conservation farming systems.
Join Today
2022-2023 National Cover Crop Survey Report
Findings in the seventh National Cover Crop Survey from CTIC, USDA-NIFA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) yielded new perspectives on planting green and challenged commonly held notions linking land ownership to cover crop adoption. Learn more here.
Learn More
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... or
Bethany Shively, ASTA (bshively@betterseed.org); (703) 837-8140 x332
CALLING ALL FARMERS: SHARE YOUR VIEWS ON COVER CROPS IN NATIONAL SURVEY BY SARE, CTIC AND ASTA
A national survey launched today to gather insight from farmers who plant cover crops, as well as farmers who don't. Farmers are encouraged to access the National Cover Crop Survey online atbit.ly/CoverCrop23. The anonymous survey typically takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Your insight will help guide research, communications, seed development, and more.
This is the seventh National Cover Crop Survey conducted by the USDA-NIFA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) an ... more. |
With expectations of continued travel restrictions late into 2021, CTIC is currently planning the Conservation in Action tour, which is likely to include recorded, live remote and in-person elements. We are working closely with the Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies (ACSESS) to continue linking the tour with the Sustainable Agriculture Conference as we did last year. Meanwhile, we are finding ways to include expanded content and insight from farmers, conservation specialists, policy makers and more.
For the past 14 years, the CTIC Conservation in Action Tour has been a highlight of the summer calen ... more. |
Despite the crippling rainfall that significantly delayed planting across much of the country in 2019, more than 90% of farmers participating in a national cover crop survey reported that cover crops allowed them to plant earlier or at the same time as non-cover-cropped fields. Among those who had "planted green," seeding cash crops into growing cover crops, 54% said the practice helped them plant earlier than on other fields.
Those findings were among several new insights from the 2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey, conducted by the non-prof ... more. |
... kcrawford@betterseed.org (571) 431-7331
NATIONAL FARMER SURVEY DOCUMENTS A WIDE RANGE OF COVER CROP BENEFITS AS ACREAGE CONTINUES TO EXPAND
Despite the crippling rainfall that significantly delayed planting across much of the country in 2019, more than 90% of farmers participating in a national cover crop survey reported that cover crops allowed them to plant earlier or at the same time as non-cover-cropped fields. Among those who had "planted green," seeding cash crops into growing cover crops, 54% said the practice helped them plant earlier than on other fields.
Those findings were among several new insights from the 2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey, conducted by the non-profit Conserv ... more. |
Cover crops are among the most exciting and most complex conservation systems on today's agricultural landscape. CTIC and its partners have been at the forefront of exploring, demonstrating, and promoting cover crops to help make them as effective as possible.
Bee Integrated Demonstration Project
CTIC is supporting this Honey Bee Health Coalition led effort to bring together beekeepers and farmers ... more. |
... you to everyone who attended from near and far and who helped support the tour.
We continued to provide technical and educational support across the country through workshops and meetings that brought together farmers, researchers, regulators and policymakers.
We continued to curate information and track trends in conservation agriculture through projects and surveys, such as our annual cover crop survey and our Let's Do the Math: Economic, Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Cover Crops project.
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Ag Consultant Training in Systems that Protect Water Quality National Aquatic Resources Workshop National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) Cover Crop Surveys
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... you to everyone who attended from near and far and who helped support the tour.
We continued to provide technical and educational support across the country through workshops and meetings that brought together farmers, researchers, regulators and policymakers.
We continued to curate information and track trends in conservation agriculture through projects and surveys, such as our annual cover crop survey and our Let's Do the Math: Economic, Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Cover Crops project.
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... to document the agronomic and economic benefits of cover crops.
The 2015 Conservation in Action Tour in Minnesota, which will feature innovative partnership efforts for conservation farming success.
CTIC’s work to track cover crop use and document the benefits of keeping the soil covered from harvest to planting. At the booth, pick up a copy of the 2013-2014 Cover Crop Survey Report to see how and why farmers across the country are planting cover crops.
Farmers can take the 2015 cover crop survey right at the booth and get extra entries into CTIC’s prize drawing. And anyone can enter the drawing for Yeti Ramblers or handy smartphone chargers.
(Need a sugar pick-me-up or something to bring home for the kids? CTIC will also be handi ... more. |
... assessment data as a core component of local watershed management plans.
Activities
CTIC is working to develop new software that will simplify the collection process, allow data to upload to CTIC's web site with a click of a button and tie collection points to GPS coordinates. With Purdue University, CTIC is exploring the use of remote sensing technology to estimate residue cover and, ideally, increase efficiency and accuracy of data collection.
For More Information
Visit the CRM Survey web page at www.ctic.org/CRM.
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The National Crop Residue Management (CRM) Survey is the only survey in the U.S. to measure at the county level the type of tillage used by crop. Tillage methods tracked are: no-till, mulch-till, reduced-till, and conventional tillage. Click here to see the tillage definitions.
Available Data
Data is available online from 1989 to 2008. Some of the data can be accessed without a password (unsecured data) and ... more. |
Rye cover crop seeded into corn residue.
Photo courtesy of USDA
Cover Crops Work with Various Crop Production Systems
By Jason Johnson
According to a panel of Iowa farmers, agronomists and soil conservationists, cover crops such as rye, wheat and clover are environmentally beneficial and with prope ... more. |
Using cover crops and continuous no-till together in a conservation system over time maximizes soil health and may lead to yield increases and other benefits.
Photo courtesy of CTIC
Using Cover Crops to Facilitate the Transition to Continuous No-Till
Why this project?
Using cover crops and continuous no-til ... more. |
... CTIC has been the go-to source for data on the adoption of conservation practices across the U.S. Though federal support of the popular crop residue management transect survey ended in 2004, scientists, policy makers and marketers have continued to tap CTIC's databases. Now, we're at the forefront of using remote sensing to bring back state, regional and national data on crop residue and cover crop management.
Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS)
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) has been developed by Regrow, TNC, and CTIC as a method for the automated use of remote sensing (satellite-based) data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including various forms of reduced tillage and the planting of winter cover crops.
Crop Residue M ... more. |
Conservation Technology Information Center Announces Creation of Cover Crop Coaches Program and Hires Dan Coffman as Minnesota Soil Health Specialist
WEST LAFAYETTE, NOVEMBER 16, 2023- Thanks to a generous grant from General Mills, a global food company deeply committed to regenerative agriculture, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) is excited to announce the creation of their farmer-led Cover Crop Coaches program.
... more. |
Josh Lloyd tries to do "what Mother Nature does" on his farm near Clay Center, Kansas. That means a no-till system combined with the planting of a polyculture of cover crops -- turnips, radishes and canola -- in rotation with his sorghum and wheat acres.
Caldwell, Jeff. 2009. The great crop rotation cover-up. Agriculture Online.
Using Cover_crops SAG 08 09
This is a literature review of cover crop benefits from Dabney et al. 2001 and Dabney 1996.
Oilseed_Radish
Oilseed radish is a unique cover crop that farmers are plan ... more. |
This project, funded by a 2008 Conservation Innovation Grant, promotes the use of cover crops to ease farmers’ transition to use of continuous no-till. Continuous no-till (CNT) has been around long enough that there is little doubt among experts of its many advantages. Despite the proven economic and environmental benefits of CNT, some farmers remain hesitant to fully adopt the system. In 2004, the National Crop Residue Management survey indicated that only 22.6 percent of far ... more. |
Chicken litter being loaded into spreader truck in Northern Louisiana.
Photo courtesy of USDA.
Nurturing Crops, Protecting the Environment
Emphasis on Sound Nutrient Management
By Christa Martin Jones
The emphasis on more and better nutrient management promises advances in farm profitability, conservation technology, and water quality improvements. Agriculture'sability to marry economy and environment, planning and implementation, and research and technology transf ... more. |
Cover Crop Math
The outcomes of our Cover Crop Math project, which was completed in September, are still being shared widely.Corn & Soybean Digestused one of the fourteen feature stories produced by CTIC as the publication’s cover story in April. The story features Illinois farmers John and Dean Werries.
Several more of those feature stories are scheduled to run inCorn & So ... more. |
A partnership of organizations including Conservation Technology Information Center, the Indiana Soybean Alliance, and The Fertilizer Institute measured adoption of conservation practices on Indiana farms.The survey revealed reasons farm operators and landownersdo not adopt conservation practices. Building onthe success of the recentnational Best Management Practices (BMPs) Survey, thissurvey recorded the conservation efforts of Indiana farmers and identified how to assist farmers in choosing appropriate and profitable conservation practices.
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Cover Crop Math
The outcomes of our Cover Crop Math project, which was completed in September, are still being shared widely.Corn & Soybean Digestused one of the fourteen feature stories produced by CTIC as the publication’s cover story in April. The story features Illinois farmers John and Dean Werries.
Several more of those feature stories are scheduled to run inCorn & So ... more. |
Research & Technology Briefs
By Rachel Doctor
Midwest Cover Crops Council Web Site Introduced
Midwestern farmers wanting to learn more about cover crops now have a central information source where they can easily find practical ways to use them.
The Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC) recently introduced a Web site as an educational tool to help expand the knowledge compiled since the group's formation two years ago to farmers and others ... more. |
Cover Crop Math:
The research and field work for our Cover Crop Math project was completed this September.
CTIC has produced a set of fourteen feature-style articles describing project outcomes and are currently working with Penton Media to determine whether any are a fit to run inCorn & Soybean Digest. Those decisions should be made within the next couple weeks, after which CTIC w ... more. |
Cover Crop Math:
The research and field work for our Cover Crop Math project was completed this September.
CTIC has produced a set of fourteen feature-style articles describing project outcomes and are currently working with Penton Media to determine whether any are a fit to run in Corn & Soybean Digest. Those decisions should be made within the next couple weeks, after which CTIC ... more. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Callie North, CTIC (north@ctic.org; (317) 450-9137) or
Steve Werblow (steve@stevewerblow.com; (541) 951-4212)
NEW OpTIS DATA FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW 2.5x RISE IN CORN BELT COVER CROPS
Corn Belt cover crop acres climbed from 2.8 million to 7.5 million between 2015 and 2021
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (February 2, 2023)—A new tranche of data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) tracked a 250% climb in cover crop acreage—from 2.8 million acres in 2015 to 7.5 million acres in 2021—led by row crop farmers in the southern portio ... more. |
A close-growing crop that temporarily protects the soil when crop residues are not adequate.
How it works
Crops including cereal rye, oats, clover, hairy vetch, and winter wheat are planted to temporarily protect the ground from wind and water erosion during times when cropland isn't adequately protected against soil erosion.
How it helps
Cover crops keep ground covered, add organic matter to the soil, trap nutrients, improve soil tilth and reduce weed competition.
Planning ahead
Do you have a seeding method that won't harm standing crops?
Are adequate soil conservation measures installed?
Tech notes
Cover crops are most often recommended when low residue producing crops such as soybeans or corn silage are grown on ... more. |
Supply Chain Sustainability in Iowa
Last fall, CTIC finished the first phase of a project funded by the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship. For the last three years, this project enhanced an ongoing supply chain sustainability initiative with technical and financial support that helped participating farmers plant nearly 40,000 acres of cover crops.
For our next step, CTIC is joining partners including The Nature Conservancy, Practical Farmers of Iowa, and Unilever to encourage greater adoption of conservation systems among farmers already enrolled in supply chain sustainability initiatives. This project will focus outreach and education on farmers in on Iowa’s Skunk watersheds, as well as utilizing the recently develop ... more. |
Tuesday, August 25th
9am to 5pm
East Main Street Christian Church
Elwood, Indiana
Presentations from the meeting are below:
Cover Crops, No-till, and Soil Quality, Dan Towery
Indiana Specific Niches, Dave Robison
You have heard about the benefits of cover crops, now learn how to make them work! Spend the day with an all star cast of speakers from Purdue University, NRCS, Michigan State University, CISCO seeds and Ag Conservation Solutions and learn how to use cover crops on your operation.
The Conservation Te ... more. |
CTIC would like your feedback on this page. Take Survey
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A massive new data set chronicling residue management and winter cover crop use in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana from 2005 through 2018 is now in the final stages of preparation for release on CTIC's website. The resource—the Operational Tillage Information System, or OpTIS—uses publicly available remote sensing data to monitor the adoption of no-till, conservation tillage, and winter cover crops. Data covering the rest of the Corn Belt, extending from ... more. |
... for Soil Health program, a collaborative effort initiated by the National Corn Growers Association, United Soybean Board, and the National Pork Board. Our mission is to drive positive change in agriculture, one field at a time.
About Farmers for Soil Health
Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) is a farmer-driven sustainability program designed to enhance soil health and promote the adoption of cover crops. With a bold vision of expanding cover crops to 30 million acres by 2030, FSH is at the forefront of sustainable agriculture practices.
Our Role
CTIC plays a vital role in this program by providing outreach and technical assistance to farmers in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Our dedicated, full-time Soil Health Specialists work one-on-one with farmers and their advisors. We ... more. |
... area extending from eastern Ohio to eastern Kansas and Nebraska, and from the Missouri Bootheel to the Red River Valley of North Dakota.
OpTIS, developed by Applied GeoSolutions (AGS), analyzes remotely sensed images of the landscape, automatically identifying and quantifying the proportion of cropland that is managed with various types of conservation tillage practices and winter cover crops each year. AGS, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have spearheaded the development, testing and application of OpTIS.
“In the past, we have relied on data from cost share programs to measure conservation practice adoption, but we know most farmers implement conservation practices on their own,” said Ben Gleason, sustainab ... more. |
Adoption of Climate-Smart Agricultural Practices
Data are available for the adoption of cover crops and conservation tillage. Remote-sensing derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for the adoption of two important conservation practices (cover crops and reduced tillage).
Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021. All data are available at the watershed (HUC8) and Crop Reporting District (CRD) geographic scales.
Explore the Climate-Smart Data Applications
Cov ... more. |
CTIC Presents: Farmers for Soil Health webinars
Termination and Management of Cover Crops
in the North Central States
February 6, 2024
Description: Featured speakers:
Colin Geppert, a farmer in South Dakota
Dr. Erin Silva of University of Wisconsin
Myron Sylling, a farmer in Minnesota
Join the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and Farmers for Soil Health on Tuesday, February 6 at 10:00 am CST for a free webinar on cover cropping in Wisco ... more. |
... including a booklet and video on leadership lessons and partnership development based on experiences from the project.
A series of fact sheets—distributed to farmers, ag retailers, and crop consultants by CTIC and the local Soil and Water Conservation District—captured key lessons from the project, including:
Creating your own demonstration plots
Establishing and managing cover crops
Spring and split applications of nitrogen
Understanding MERN
Using enhanced-efficiency nitrogen sources
Six video vignettes profiled farmers active in the project, detailing their conservation practices. The CTIC website for the project logged nearly 20,000 page views during the funding period.
Project Sponsors and Partners
The key to the success of the Indian Creek Water ... more. |
Crop Residue Management (CRM)
A year-round system beginning with the selection of crops that produce sufficient quantities of residue and may include the use of cover crops after low residue producing crops. CRM includes all field operations that affect residue amounts, orientation and distribution throughout the period requiring protection. Site-specific residue cover amounts needed are usually expressed in percentage but may also be in pounds. CRM is an “umbrella” term encompassing several tillage systems including no-till, ridge-till, mulch-till ... more. |
... costs may be reduced by naturally breaking the cycles of weeds, insects and diseases.
Grass and legumes in a rotation protect water quality by preventing excess nutrients or chemicals from entering water supplies.
Meadow or small grains cut soil erosion dramatically.
Crop rotations add diversity to an operation.
Planning ahead
Do you have use for other crops?
Cover crops may help in crop rotation.
Tech notes
Crops must be suited to your soils.
Design crop rotations to meet the residue needs of your crop residue management plans.
Rotations that include small grains or meadow provide better erosion control.
Small grains and meadow can always be used to replace any row crop or low residue crop to gain better erosion control.
Corn (grain ... more. |
This project, funded by EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, will demonstrate the effectiveness of cover crops and conservation tillage systems to decrease agricultural nonpoint source pollution and inform producers about the economic benefits of the systems. CTIC and partners will assist agricultural producers in the Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Huron watersheds with implementation of cover crops and conservation tillage systems on 15,000 acres by April 2013. Producers will receive technical, ... more. |
The use of cover crops is steadily increasing throughout the United States. Many no-till farmers consider cover crops to be the next step in conservation agriculture.
Leaving the soil undisturbed and keeping something growing as many days as possible restores the natural cycles of the soils. Residues and roots create more organic matter in the soils. Increased organic matter serves as a food source to various ... more. |
OpTIS 2.1—FEATURING 2020 DATA—WILL BE ONLINE FREE BY YEAR-END
A new year's worth of remote sensing data on tillage and winter cover crops from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) will be available by the end of December, expanding the dataset that extends back to 2005 across the Corn Belt.
A powerful, intuitive visualization tool on the CTIC website allows visitors to explore trends in tillage and cover crop adoption through maps and charts while manipulating geography, date range and crop rotation. OpTIS ... more. |
The use of cover crops is steadily increasing throughout the United States. Many no-till farmers consider cover crops to be the next step in conservation agriculture.
Leaving the soil undisturbed and keeping something growing as many days as possible restores the natural cycles of the soils. Residues and roots create more organic matter in the soils. Increased organic matter serves as a food source to various ... more. |
Leaving last year's crop residue on the soil surface by limiting tillage. Includes no-till, mulch-till and ridge till.
How it works
Leaving last year's crop residue on the surface before and during planting operations provides cover for the soil at a critical time of the year. The residue is left on the surface by reducing tillage operations and turning the soil less. Pieces of crop residue shield soil particles from rain and wind until plants can produce a protective canopy.
How it helps
Ground cover prevents soil erosion and protects water quality.
Residue improves soil tilth and adds organic matter to t ... more. |
... to successfully plan, organize, coordinate, evaluate and share information from State and Tribal Aquatic Resource Monitoring Technical Training Workshops that will occur between 2016 to 2020.
Nationals:
National 2016:
Tampa, FL- May 2-6, 2016
The NARS National Workshop was held in Tampa, FloridaMay 2-6, 2016. CTIC worked with EPA to develop breakout sessions to cover NARS materials.
CTIC awarded 45 travel scholarships for state and tribal participants to attend. A total of 52 people attended the conference.
A conference summary and a summary of evaluations are available below.
Conference at a Glance
Evaluation Summary
National2017:
Silver Springs, MD- December 5-7, 2017
The NARS National workshop was held in Silver Springs, Ma ... more. |
... and conservationists from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for a deep dive into how crop consultants can help their clients benefit from conservation practices.
Discussions ranged from the agronomic and water-management benefits of conservation systems—including precision irrigation, tailwater management, reduced tillage and cover crops, among others—to cost-share programs that can have direct benefits to farmers' bottom lines.
We also visited the Dabbs Farm outside of Stuttgart for a close-up look at the family's reservoir and tailwater management system and the Arkansas Discovery Farm's water quality monitoring program.
Click here for full video coverage of each of the presentations in the two-day ... more. |
CTIC's far-reaching Economic, Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Cover Crops project - commonly called "Let's Do The Math on Cover Crops" - is in the final stage of pulling together data on the impact of cover crops on honey bee habitat. With data from The Ohio State University, CTIC will soon provide insight into cost-effective opportunities to provide pollinator forage on agricultural landscapes.
In the meantime, ... more. |
... to improve water quality.
Size: 1000 x 672 pixels (447k)
Source: CTIC
Standing stalks of corn (in the foreground) will slowly decompose to provide a natural mulch for the new seeds that are to be planted by the oncoming tractor.
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Source: Farm Journal
Rows of soybean plants emerge from a field covered with old corn stalks from the previous harvest. These soybeans were planted in narrower (15-inch) rows because as they mature their big leaves will quickly shade the ground, making it harder for the sun to warm weed seeds that may lie between the rows. This natural canopy from the growing soybean plants can help farmers reduce the need for herbicides (weed killers).
Size: 671 x 1000 pixe ... more. |
CTIC’s Economic, Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Cover Crops project, usually called "Cover Crop Math," will pencil out the full range of benefits that cover crops bring to the farm and surrounding areas. Twenty-one farmers in seven states across the Midwest are sharing samples and information from their operations which project partners are analyzing. Four farmers are conducting additional nitrogen rate strip trials to quantify opportuniti ... more. |
Great Lakes Cover Crop Initiative The Great Lakes Cover Crop Initiative (GLCCI) is a regional effort to establish 15 thousand acres of cover crops in the Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Huron watersheds in three years.
This goal will be accomplished through extensive outreach through field days, workshops and other conservation events. In addition to the outreach events, GLCCI coordinators are wo ... more. |
... agencies, and partners from tribes and other entities. Dozens of presentations and breakout sessions are available free on CTIC's website.
NARS is acollaborative program between EPA, states and tribes designed to assess the quality of the nation's coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and wetlands using a statistical survey design. The workshop coveredtopics relevant to all four waterbody types. The program included an address and Q&A session with John Goodin, director of US EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds.
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... persistence and ecology of fecal bacteria and viruses in extra-intestinal, and antibiotic resistant bacteria in aquatic environments. She is an author of over 115 peer-reviewed papers Her current projects include a collaborative study on the effects of animal fecal contamination on human health and microbiome status in Ecuador.
Video Length - 9:52
EPA’s New Sanitary Survey App for Marine and Freshwaters
Samantha Fontenelle
Speaker Bio
Commander Samantha Fontenelle is a Commissioned Officer with the U.S. Public Health Service stationed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology. She supports the EPA’s Fish and Beach programs and is the Technical Lead for EPA’s Sanitary Survey App for Marine ... more. |
2010 NLA Workshop
November 1-2, 2010
Oklahoma City, OK
Draft Agenda
November 1, 2010
1:00 - 1:30 pm
2012 NLA overview,Amina Pollard, EPA
Each indicator group will have two hours to present their analysis of potential indicators for the 2012 lakes survey and discuss their thoughts with the steering committee.
1:30 - 3:30 pm
Water Quality Indicators
3:30 - 5:30 pm
Physical Habitat Indicators
November 2, 2010
9:00 - 11:00 am
Biological Indicators
11:00 - 12:30 pm
Lunch (on own)
12:30 - 2:30 pm
Recreational Indicators
2:30 - 4:00 pm
... more. |
Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation want to learn more about producer cropping decisions. We invite producers to spend a few minutes answering two short surveys about their agricultural operations. Participants could win one of several prizes, including two $100 gift cards. You can double your chances of winning by completing both surveys.
Please click here to take Cropping Decisions Survey #1
Please click here to take Cropping Decisions Survey ... more. |
In 2010, CTIC received a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund the "Aquatic Resource Monitoring Technical Training Workshops for States, Tribes and Other Stakeholders" project. Over the next three years, CTIC will provide the leadership and technical support to conduct seven aquatic resource-specific workshops and two national conferences covering all aquatics resource types. These workshops and conferences will enhance the collaboration, communication, coordination and technology transfer among over 800 professional attendees. Using a national network of conservation and agricultural leaders, CTIC will assist EPA, states and tribes in strengthening partnerships with agricultural communities to address nonpoint source pollution.
... more. |
... to bringing technologies to farmers to help them be more productive. With a global network of offices, they deliver innovative and quality products to the agricultural nutrient market, with focus on an economic, agronomic and responsible approach.
Grassland Oregon
www.grasslandoregon.com
Grassland Oregon, Inc. is a leader in the development and marketing of science-based cover crop, turf, and forage seeds. With research locations across North America and exclusive global partnerships, Grassland Oregon is at the forefront in the development of products that deliver novel solutions for growing concerns.
Truax Company
www.truaxcomp.com
The Truax Company is a private company that provides grass seeding equipment which effectively meters and plants grass se ... more. |
Automated Use of Remote Sensing Data to Monitor Conservation Practices
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), a Regrow technology (https://www.regrow.ag), uses remote sensing (satellite-based) data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including various forms of reduced tillage and the planting of winter cover crops. While the OpTIS calculations are performed and validated at the farm-field scale, the privacy of individual producers is fully protected by distributing only spatially-aggregated results – at the county and watershed (8-digit HUC) scale.
CTIC has been the primary source of this type of conservation practice monitoring data for nearly 30 years. In partnership with USDA and many oth ... more. |
In a 1-hour webinar available on-demand through CTIC's website, Dr. Roderick Rejesus of North Carolina State University described how he used OpTIS data to explore whether crop insurance programs discourage growers from planting cover crops.
The webinar, recorded live on April 29, is part of a six-webinar series coordinated by CTIC over the next two years. The April program also features Soren Rundquist of Regrow Ag and CTIC's Dave Gustafson describing updates in the algorithm and coverage area of OpTIS.
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) uses a proprietary algorithm to analyze sat ... more. |
... OpTIS Project Director.
As I pass the CTIC reins to Mike, I offer some parting thoughts on the future of conservation in US row crop agriculture. In doing so, I realize some of what I have to say could be regarded as controversial, so let me be very clear that these are my words alone, and not those of CTIC. There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that practices like cover crops and continuous no-till have tremendous potential to deliver a future of improved soil and water conservation outcomes. But the bad news is that this future is now imperiled by rising levels of aggressive litigation targeted against agriculture, such as (1) the 2015 Des Moines Water Works lawsuit (eventually dismissed in 2017 after two years of costly legal wrangling); (2) a second March 201 ... more. |
... rapidly decompose organic matter.
Mike Hubbs (left), agronomist with NRCS, collecting core sample for bulk density while waiting on respiration test.
This high rate of biological activity in a system of low residue inputs decreases soil organic matter. Less organic matter degrades overall soil quality.
A no-till system with crop rotations and/or cover crops balances decomposition with organic matter inputs from crop roots and residues, providing a more stable system. As a result, organic matter levels are maintained, or even increased, and biological activity is improved. High respiration with high inputs indicates good soil quality.
“Crop rotations, cover crops, no-till or conservation tillage can improve soil respiration,&rdquo ... more. |
Meet Our Cover Crop Coaches
Soil health and the biological interactions that cause crops to flourish – or not – is complex and often fraught with contradictions. Add cover crops into the mix and it gets even more confusing. How great would it be to know a farmer who has been growing cover crops for years and is willing to answer questions and offer real-life insights into how cover crops impact o ... more. |
... as we celebrate our 40th anniversary and hostour annual tour.
https://ctic.org/Membership/Membership_Info
YOUR MEMBERSHIP IN CTIC SUPPORTS:
• Innovations in tracking the adoption of conservation on the ground...from field-level validation to online surveys to remote sensing
• Demonstrations of conservation systems
• Education on everything from cover crop establishment to cutting-edge tools and models
• Training for farmers, CCAs and retail agronomists, conservation agency staff, federal staffers and more
• Ongoing dialogues with policymakers and regulators
•Innovations like the new PLUS-UP stimulus program and the Conservation Validation Network
• And much more!
Get involved with CTIC...as a member ... more. |
... Recommended timing. When does the soil temperature drop below 50 degrees? Will a nitrogen stabilizer be used? What’s the tillage practice? Strip-till corn and no-till corn require different timing approaches than corn planted into a field that’s been tilled once with a field cultivator. Will a starter fertilizer be used to give the seedling a healthy start? How many acres can be covered with available labor (custom or hired) and equipment? Does your manure application depend on a custom applicator’s schedule? What agreements have been worked out with neighbors for manure use on their fields? Is a neighbor hosting a special event over the weekend? All these factors and more will likely figure into the recommended timing.
9. Recommended methods. Surface or injected? W ... more. |
... again since we moved back nine years ago. Fast forward to late October 2022 as we were finishing harvest: I witnessed an incredible milestone when I watched my 13-year-old daughter drive the combine and unload corn to her 15-year-old brother driving the grain cart. Creating a more sustainable farm for my kids is THE motivating factor when evaluating new practices, whether that is cover crops or creating pollinator habitat.
The road back to my family’s farm ran through my education at Iowa State University as a wildlife biologist. I was fortunate to spend the first 15 years of my career with Ducks Unlimited working in a number of capacities from Field Biologist to Director of Conservation Programs, building partnerships throughout the Midwest and Great P ... more. |
... agriculture is actively addressing water quality concerns.
Helping farmers and members of the supply chain document how they are sustainably providing commodities to downstream partners and how farming more sustainably can have a positive impact on the farmer’s bottom line.
Working with partners to implement a remote sensing project that can help to estimate crop residue amounts and cover crop acreage using satellite photos and publically available data.This is the next generation of our traditional Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey.
Working with beekeepers and farmers to improve pollinator habitat options and overall pollinator health by using best practices on the farms and in the hives.
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... agriculture is actively addressing water quality concerns.
Helping farmers and members of the supply chain document how they are sustainably providing commodities to downstream partners and how farming more sustainably can have a positive impact on the farmer’s bottom line.
Working with partners to implement a remote sensing project that can help to estimate crop residue amounts and cover crop acreage using satellite photos and publically available data. This is the next generation of our traditional Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey.
Working with beekeepers and farmers to improve pollinator habitat options and overall pollinator health by using best practices on the farms and in the hives.
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CTIC Hires Catie Geib as New Soil Health Specialist in Wisconsin and Announces Cover Crop Webinar Series
WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, September 6, 2023 –Soil health specialist Catie Geib has joined the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), a 41-year-old conservation agriculture non-profit, to provide technical support to Wisconsin farmers under the Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) program.
The Farmers for Soil Health program provides payments for new and exist ... more. |
... Time
Make nutrients available when crops need them
Time the application
Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
Choose application method
Incorporate fertilizer
Use buffer strips
Use conservation tillage
Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
Test soils
Yield goal analysis
Crop removal balance
Nutrient management planning
Plant tissue analysis
Record keeping
Variable rate technology
Site-specific management
Sponsors
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... Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
+ Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
+ Choose application method
+ Incorporate fertilizer
+ Use buffer strips
+ Use conservation tillage
+ Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
+ Test soils
+ Yield goal analysis
+ Crop removal balance
+ Nutrient management planning
+ Plant tissue analysis
+ Record keeping
+ Variable rate technolog ... more. |
... a more regulatory approach," he predicts. "I'd rather be part of a preemptive movement."
Drainage Water Management Is Part of the Conservation Agriculture Continuum
Grower Tony Thompson of Windom, Minn., sees his drainage water management system as an integral part of his broad approach to conservation agriculture, which includes ridge-till, cover cropping, closed tile intakes and other best management practices.
"The farmer has to think about water before the rain droplets strike the soil," Thompson notes. "The first thought is how to try to prevent the raindrop from striking bare soil. Once it's on the soil surface, we want it seeping into the ground and not running off the field, so we're working on ... more. |
Crop Nutrient Management Facts
What is it?
It is a system of crop production with little, if any, tillage. It increases the residue from the crop that
remains in the field after harvest through planting. This results in increased natural recycling of crop residues.
Used on 38% (109 million acres) of all U.S. cropland (293 million planted acres).
Goal is 50% (146 million acres) ... more. |
... parts of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana—can earn money through a phosphorus load reduction pilot program. The “Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulation Program” (PLUS-UP) program, coordinated by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), will pay farmers in the project area $5 to $10 per acre in 2022 to reduce P loads using practices such as no-till or cover crops.
"The PLUS-UP program will provide a financial incentive for conservation practices that help farmers reduce phosphorus loading in the Lake Erie watershed, keep their nutrients where their crops can use them, and build soil health," says Hans Kok, CTIC program director. "Bayer Crop Science has purchased phosphorus credits to provide these PLUS-UP incentives, and the U. ... more. |
... launch of the first data set from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which combines satellite sensing technology with sophisticated modeling to map the adoption of conservation practices on the landscape.
The 21st century heir to CTIC's long-time Crop Residue Management (CRM) Survey, OpTIS will provide comprehensive maps of crop residue management practices and cover crops down to the HUC8 scale. Annual maps and data—with the capability of tracking practices longitudinally over time—will be invaluable to researchers analyzing carbon sequestration, soil erosion, water quality and soil health.
Policy makers can use OpTIS data to study the adoption of conservation practices or support emerging environmental markets in carbon or water quality c ... more. |
... the nutrients from three to four applications of manure per year. Heavy growth and mild winter weather generally yield five cuttings per year, cycling nutrients back to their 710 cows.
The brothers also practice “relay cropping.” As they cultivate 270 acres of corn ground in early summer, they blow on 30 to 50 pounds of grass seed per acre. After the corn is harvested, a lush cover crop is already in place to protect soil from erosion, capture nutrients in the soil, and filter sediment from stormwater. The brothers apply manure, harvest the grass for forage in the spring, then plant corn again.
“It’s usually winter Italian ryegrass or cereal rye,” said Lenssen. “They grow well over the winter, take manure in the spring, and they’re good feed ... more. |
From the cover crops of the Hmong American Farmers Association farm near Hastings to Northfield farmer Dave Legvold’s saturated buffers and the impeccable dairy and manure handling system at Burfeind Dairy Farm near Goodhue, participants in the Conservation Technology Information Center’s (CTIC) eighth annual Conservation in Action Tour got a first-hand look at systems that protect water quality, bu ... more. |
... and contouring combined in equal-width strips of corn or soybeans planted on the contour and alternated with strips of oats, grass or legumes.
How it works
Crops are arranged so that a strip of meadow or small grain is alternated with a strip of row crop. Not more than half a field can be planted to row crops. Meadow slows runoff, increases infiltration, traps sediment and provides surface cover. Ridges formed by contoured rows slow water flow which reduces erosion. Rotating the strips from corn to legumes allows nutrient-needy crops to benefit from the nitrogen added to the soil by legumes. This practice combines the beneficial effects of contouring and crop rotation.
How it helps
Contour stripcropping reduces soil erosion and protects water quality.
Contour stripcropping may h ... more. |
... and profitability through greater use of no-till practices and conservation systems for producers, consumers, and communities by promotion of market based incentives, education, demonstration, participation, and research.
Area We Serve
The Southern Plains Agricultural Resources Coalition (SPARC) serves an area of Oklahoma west of Interstate 35. The goal of SPARC is to broaden its coverage to neighboring states in the southern plains region.
Who We Serve
SPARC serves producers of agriculture products as well as consumers. This includes all communities, policy makers, tribes, landowners, and water users throughout rural and urban areas.
Priority Resource Concerns
SPARC has determined that the three priority resource concerns with the greatest potential for ben ... more. |
What do farms, water quality and the Great Lakes have in common? They all are helped by cover crops. Through the Great Lakes Cover Crop Initiative, CTIC and partners planted 36,970 acres of cover crops, providing many benefits to farmers in the Great Lakes region. Hear from three farmers in the Great Lakes basin, a researcher on Lake Erie and a Michigan State University Extension educator as they present "The Cover Crop Story."
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... Media offers grower an array of publications, books, and wide array of multi-media to assist in the successful application of conservation practices on their farms. Among LM’s titles are the flagship No-Till Farmer (founded 1972) and accompanying National No-Tillage Conference (founded 1993), Strip-Till Farmer (www.striptillfarmer.com) and the National Strip-Tillage Conference, and Cover Crops Strategies (www.covercropstrategies.com) and National Cover Crop Summit.
National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD)
www.nacdnet.org
The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that represents America’s 3,000 conservation districts and the 17,000 individuals who serve on their governing boards. Conserva ... more. |
... for Soil Health Program, a collaborative effort initiated by the National Corn Growers Association, United Soybean Board, and the National Pork Board. Our mission is to drive positive change in agriculture, one field at a time.
About Farmers for Soil Health
Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) is a farmer-driven sustainability program designed to enhance soil health and promote the adoption of cover crops. With a bold vision of expanding cover crops to 30 million acres by 2030, FSH is at the forefront of sustainable agriculture practices.
Our Role
CTIC plays a vital role in this program by providing outreach and technical assistance to farmers in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Our dedicated, full-time Soil Health Specialists work one-on-one with farmers and their ... more. |
... NRCS and Washington State Farm Service Agency have worked to develop CRP exit strategies to encourage, allow and assist farmers with maintaining the environmental benefits of land formerly under CRP.
The working group has investigated some options, and will ask for input from groups with a vested interest in the outcome.
The best option for some CRP land is to remain under permanent cover. Fortunately, programs are in place for such land, following the sage advice, “Farm the best; enhance the rest.”
To pursue the “best,” the working group looked into changing the access dates and eliminating the penalty for early access. The proposal included a staged takeout strategy to allow growers early, penalty-free access to half their CRP acres, after Feb. 1 in ... more. |
Drawing on deep technical expertise as well as organizational experience, CTIC has planned and facilitated meetings, workshops and trainings around the world. CTIC works closely with federal and state agencies, conservation districts, and non-profits to ensure effective two-way communication. Current training programs include technical workshops for EPA staff and partners as well as sessions for crop consultants and other farm advisors.
NARS Technical Training Workshops
Working with US EPA on its National Aquatic Resource Survey (NARS) program, CTIC provides leadership and technical support for State and Tribal Aquatic Resource Monitoring Technical Training Workshops, including 2 national programs and up to 10 aquatic-resource-specific trainings, between 2016 and 2020. The workshops enh ... more. |
... of nutrient management practices that apply the right source of fertilizer at the right rate, time and place by calculating nutrient use efficiency (NUE) on the same fields where tile outlets are monitored for nitrate concentrations.
Diagram of automatic sampler. Courtesy of USDA-ARS.
Outcomes will include discovering the impacts of practices demonstrated and their effects on N content of tile water as well as demonstrating nutrient use efficiency, supported by increased net yields, to influence producer adoption of the practices. Project outreach activities will share progress and results with producers (and others) and collect feedback about producer perceptions, attitudes and intentions toward future use ... more. |
CTIC recently received a Grant from EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that will fund the promotion of cover crops and conservation tillage in the Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan Watersheds. Agricultural producers will be provided with technical, educational and social support which will work together to create strong cover crop and conservation tillage systems that can be sustained after the project ends.
Education
CTIC will work with partners to host 18 workshops in the three waters ... more. |
Conservation Tillage Facts
What is it?
It is a system of crop production with little, if any, tillage. It increases the residue from the crop that remains
in the field after harvest through planting. This results in increased natural recycling of crop residues.
Used on 38% (109 million acres) of all U.S. cropland (293 million planted acres).
Goal is 50% (146 million acres) of the planted cropland in the U.S. by 2004.
Where is ... more. |
... are a lot of variables in calculating the value of manure. Some are chemical, some are biological, and some are regulatory. All require careful consideration.
What’s valuable about it?
One of the challenges of setting a value on manure is considering whether all of its contents are actually delivering a benefit. Manure is only valuable if it causes a crop response, notes Jon Rauch, Extension program director for The Ohio State University’s Environmental Management program.
Part of predicting crop response is recognizing which nutrient(s) are boosting yields. Commercial fertilizer can be tailored to match crop needs, in proportion, for each nutrient in a single application. Manure, on the other hand, tends to be relatively high ... more. |
... practices, has launched its brand-new website at www.ctic.org. The easy-to-search, simple-to-navigate site contains thousands of documents and links to information on conservation farming systems. Among the highlights are:
A searchable database from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which uses satellite imagery to provide detailed data on tillage practices and cover crops at the county or watershed (HUC-8) scale;
Cover crop insight, including details of the economic and environmental benefits of cover crops and the results of five annual farmer surveys on cover crop use;
Tips on organizing watershed groups and multi-stakeholder conservation efforts, including tips, analysis of knowledge transfer, and ideas for creating effective demonstration plots;
Re ... more. |
The use of cover crops is steadily increasing throughout the United States. Many no-till farmers consider cover crops to be the next step in conservation agriculture.
Leaving the soil undisturbed and keeping something growing as many days as possible restores the natural cycles of the soils. Residues and roots create more organic matter in the soils. Increased organic matter serves as a food source to various ... more. |
Conservation Technology Information Center's Conservation in Action Tour
Join us on an unforgettable tour of South Dakota in 2025! Stay tuned for the official dates and details. Interested in sponsoring? Contact Ryan Heiniger at heiniger@ctic.org
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Remote-sensing derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for the adoption of two important conservation practices (cover crops and reduced tillage), as well as soil and GHG outcomes based on the use of these practice-adoption data as input to the DNDC model.
Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021. All data are available at the watershed (HUC8) and Crop Reporting District (CRD) geographic scales.
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... Action Tour has been postponed to 2021. We will instead host a virtual event in collaboration with the American Society of Agronomy's Sustainable Agronomy Conference on August 20, 2020.
Session #5: Environmental Benefits of Sustainable Agronomy—Stewardship in Action
10:05 AM-10:20 AM (Recorded)
Topic: Making Conservation Stick: Perspectives from a Family Farm and Certified Crop Adviser
Speakers: Vollmer-Sanders Family, Grains and Greens and Vollmer Farms and Certified Crop Adviser
10:20 AM-10:35 AM (Live)
Topic: Panel Discussion and Question and Answer Period
Moderator: Steve Werblow, Conservation Technology Information Center
Panelists: Vollmer-Sanders Family, Grains and Greens and Vollmer Farms and Certified Crop Adviser
Pleas ... more. |
... theNational Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) National Workshop under a Cooperative Agreement with EPA’s NARS program.
NARS is acollaborative program between EPA, states and tribes designed to assess the quality of the nation's coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and wetlands using a statistical survey design. The workshop coveredtopics relevant to all four waterbody types and the NARS program generally.
Before the NARS National Workshop attendees were encouraged to watch this video, NARS Improving Training, from a training held in Dallas, TX in 2018:
On March 17, 2022,US EPA and CTIC hosted a webinar and brought together 5 experts to explore key new water quality res ... more. |
Creating, maintaining or improving food and cover for upland wildlife.
How it works
Planting trees, shrubs, grass and other vegetation that provide cover and food will attract wildlife to an area. The type of habitat provided will determine the kind and numbers of wildlife attracted.
How it ... more. |
... in a mass of soil 2.5 acres in area and 3 feet deep. Complex chemistry dictates that the soil can only sequester a limited amount of carbon per year, and that after a certain number of years – scientists believe it is 15 to 20 years – a field reaches a plateau.
To make it even more complex, the soil's capacity to store carbon depends on soil type, tillage system, the use of cover crops, cropping history and how much carbon it lost in the first place. Research from highly degraded soils in South America put into improved pasture showed dramatic jumps in carbon levels after five years – much higher storage than Midwestern soils in the U.S. Deep-rooted pasture plants also have the capacity to place carbon deeper into poor South American soils than annual crops do in co ... more. |
... farmers in North Dakota establish their habitat," said Mike Smith, CTIC's Bee Integrated project manager.
Building on a successful 3-year pilot program in North Dakota, the Bee Integrated Demonstration Project stands as a model for beekeepers and farmers in other states to coordinate on best practices in pollinator habitat, varroa mite management, and crop pest management that can help improve colony health.
Data from six beekeeper/farmer-landowner pairs demonstrated that implementing the best management practices together resulted in:
Larger honey bee colonies
More pollen diversity in bees' diets
More managed and native bees observed foraging in established habitat
Practical insights from farmers and beekeepers ... more. |
... at the Individual Silver level
* Ad space in two issues of Partners magazine ($600 value)
* Recognition at two CTIC event during your annual membership term
* Two complimentary registrations to CTIC’s Conservation In Action Tour
* Recognition on CTIC’s Website
* One-year subscription to Partners magazine and Member Mail e-newsletter
* Access to Crop Residue Management Survey data from 1989 to 2004 through CTIC Website
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Introduction
CTIC has partnered since 2010with Regrow and The Nature Conservancy on the development, testing and application of the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), an automated system to map tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices using remote sensing data. The latest version of the OpTIS data are available below for Croplands. With this latest update (April 2024), the partners are now also releasing analogous data for Grasslands. All pages include charts and maps to further enhance identification of trends and opportunities to promote the adoption of conservation practices. As with ... more. |
Planting grass or other vegetation to protect a badly eroding area from soil erosion.
How it works
Grass, legumes, trees or shrubs are established in small, isolated areas of excessive erosion. The vegetation provides surface cover to stop the raindrop splash and slow water flow.
How it helps
It reduces soil erosion.
A vegetated area improves water quality by reducing the amount of sediment, nutrients and chemicals running off farmland.
Protects areas such as dams, terrace backslopes or gullied areas when vegetation may be difficult to establish.
Vegetation can be planted to provide small areas of nesting cove ... more. |
... researchers using data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) to help model water quality. Register here for the webinar and question-and-answer session with the panel.
Speakers during the live, hour-long "OpTIS 3.0: Unlocking Water Quality Insights" program will include:
Dr. Asmita Murumkar, The Ohio State University, using OpTIS data on tillage and cover crops in their modeling work in Ohio's Upper Scioto River watershed and Maumee basin.
Soren Rundquist, Regrow Ag, with updates on cover crop trends from 2015 to 2021, derived from Regrow’s proprietary and recently improved OpTIS algorithm. OpTIS utilizes publicly available satellite imagery to track tillage practices and cover crop adoption around the globe.
Dr. Dave Gustafson, Cons ... more. |
... is your chance to get a (virtual) front row seat for the latest OpTIS research updates! Since you last joined us for an OpTIS webinar, we’ve added data for 2019-2020 and even more states.
We’ll be joined by Prof. Roderick Rejesus of NC State as he’ll describe how he used remote sensing data from OpTIS to study the impact of crop insurance programs on cover crop use. The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), a Regrow technology (https://www.regrow.ag), uses satellite data and a sophisticated algorithm to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including reduced tillage and winter cover crops.
This free webinar event wouldn’t be complete without hearing from Soren Rundquist (Regrow) and Dave Gustafson (CTI ... more. |
The objectives of this study were to determine if a rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop increases N retention after soil application of swine lagoon slurry.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt; line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Cover crop effects on the fate of N following soil application of swine manure
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Cover crops help control erosion, prevent nutrient leaching, fix nitrogen, improve sail conditions, and protect seedlings, but also use water, thus affecting soil water relationships far the next crop.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Cover ... more. |
... and profitability.
Participants travelled to the Mavis Farm, where Gary and Scott Mavis shared their philosophy on conservation and how they are systematically transitioning their operation to a successful, profitable no-till system. John McGuire, Simplified Technology Services, discussed precision ag technology.
Then at Allen Dean's 1,900-acre corn, soybean and cover crop operation, visitors heard a presentation by Frank Gibbs, USDA resource soil scientist, who discussed the benefits of cover crops to soil health. View a video of Gibbs’ presentation. Dean presented how he uses cover crops to improve water infiltration, soil quality and erosion control.
Todd Hesterman hosted the final farm stop where tour attendees joined in dis ... more. |
DNDC: The Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate carbon and nitrogen soil dynamics as a function of the soil health management practices monitored by OpTIS (crop diversity, conservation tillage, and cover crops).
DNDC performs process-based simulations of nitrogen and carbon dynamics in agroecosystems. Based on environmental drivers (inputs like soil characteristics, temperature and precipitation data, crop characteristics, and crop management) the model predicts crop growth and yield, soil organic carbon (SOC) changes (loss vs. sequestration) andgreenhouse gas emissions (methan ... more. |
... shows a producer’s commitment to conservation and their willingness to protect the environment.
Benefits of Conservation Buffers
* Slow water runoff.
* Remove up to 50% or more of nutrients and pesticides in runoff.
* Remove up do 60% or more of pathogens in runoff.
* Remove up to 75% or more of sediment in runoff.
* Reduce noise and odor.
* Serve as a source of food, nesting cover, and shelter for wildlife.
* Stabilize streambanks and reduce water temperature in stream.
* Provide a setback distance for agricultural chemical use from watercourses.
* reduce downstream flooding
* Represents profitable, common sense conservation for landowners.
* Reduced risk of tractor rollover due to set back of steep ditch or creek.
* Take advantage of incentives. provided to establis ... more. |
... Kristin joined the operation.
The Traub’s grow corn, soybeans and specialty hybrid seed corn, as well as hybrid sunflowers. The operation includes over 4,000 acres and has grown steadily through teamwork and solid relationships.
Livingston County SWCD named the Traub’s Conservation Farm Family of 2010.
Conservation Systems
Strip-till corn and no-till beans in rotation cover the majority of our acres. A continuous corn system, matched with conservation mulch till and some strip-till, is used on our flatter and more productive farms or where manure is available for the fertility requirements.
Producers!
Interested in trying one of our demonstration practices? Contact Terry Bachtold at 815-848-4455.
Right Source
Match fertilizer type to ... more. |
A highly qualified crop consultant (watershed coordinator) has been identified in each watershed to provide one on one technical support to the producers who participate in this program. These people will meet with producers and help them make important decisions to ensure a successful transition to using a cover crop and conservation tillage system.
Lake Michigan Coordinator
Christina Curell
Central Region Water Quality Educator, Mecosta
14485 Northland Drive
Big Rapids, MI, 49307
Phone: (231) 592-0792
Cell: (231) 287-8617
Email: curellc@msu.edu
Christina graduated from Mic ... more. |
... Traub’s grow corn, soybeans and specialty hybrid seed corn, as well as hybrid sunflowers. The operation includes over 4,000 acres and has grown steadily through teamwork and solid relationships.
Livingston County SWCD named the Traub’s Conservation Farm Family of 2010.
Conservation Systems
Strip-till corn and no-till beans in rotation cover the majority of our acres. A continuous corn system, matched with conservation mulch till and some strip-till, is used on our flatter and more productive farms or where manure is available for the fertility requirements.
Producers!
Interested in trying one of our demonstration practices? Contact Terry Bachtold at 815-848-4455.
More...
... more. |
... Dean Hively
Decision Support Tools – Using GIS for Environmental Adaptive Management Dr. Dean Hively, Research Scientist, USGS Eastern Geographic Center, Reston VA and USDA Agriculture Research Service Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, Beltsville, MD highlights mapping tools in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Program for evaluating the performance and management of winter cover crops through an innovative combination of satellite remote sensing and site-specific agronomic data, estimating field-specific cover crop biomass and nitrogen uptake, enabling the calculation of program cost per pound of nitrogen sequestration at the landscape scale.
Dr. Ann Swinker
Best Management and Environmental Stewardship on Equine Operations Dr. Ann Swinker, Extens ... more. |
... Time
Make nutrients available when crops need them
Time the application
Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
Choose application method
Incorporate fertilizer
Use buffer strips
Use conservation tillage
Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
Test soils
Yield goal analysis
Crop removal balance
Nutrient management planning
Plant tissue analysis
Record keeping
Variable rate technology
Site-specific management
Sponsors
|
...
Make nutrients available when crops need them
+ Time the application
+ Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
+ Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
+ Choose application method
+ Incorporate fertilizer
+ Use buffer strips
+ Use conservation tillage
+ Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
+ Test soils
+ Yield goal analysis
+ Crop removal balance
+ Nutrient management planning
+ Plant tissue analysis
+ Record keeping
+ Variable rate technology
+ Site-specific management
|
... Time
Make nutrients available when crops need them
Time the application
Consider controlled release technologies and inhibitors
Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
Choose application method
Incorporate fertilizer
Use buffer strips
Use conservation tillage
Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
Test soils
Yield goal analysis
Crop removal balance
Nutrient management planning
Plant tissue analysis
Record keeping
Variable rate technology
Site-specific management
Sponsor
|
... release technologies and inhibitors
+ Choose fertilizer product
Right Place
Keep nutrients where crops can use them
+ Choose application method
+ Incorporate fertilizer
+ Use buffer strips
+ Use conservation tillage
+ Implement cover crop systems
Right Rate
Match amount of fertilizer to crop needs
+ Test soils
+ Yield goal analysis
+ Crop removal balance
+ Nutrient management planning
+ Plant tissue analysis
+ Record keeping
+ V ... more. |
... are placed across the slope on a contour. The alternating strips of grass or other permanent vegetation slow runoff flow, trap sediment from the crop strips above, and increase water infiltration. Because the buffer strip is established on the contour, runoff flows evenly across the entire surface of the grass strip, reducing sheet and rill erosion.
How it helps
Vegetation provides cover and habitat for small birds and animals.
The strips reduce erosion by slowing water flow and increasing water infiltration.
By reducing siltation and filtering nutrients and chemicals from runoff, grass strips improve water quality.
Planning ahead
Have you decided whether you want parallel crop strips or parallel buffer strips?
Are other conservation measures such as crop res ... more. |
... tools help farmers assess the variability of a field and, in turn, allow for a more accurate determination of fertilizer and agricultural input needs.
Variable rate technology allows different rates of fertilization, seeding and secondary application of nutrients. Additional BMPs, including no-till and low-till systems, conservation buffers and nitrate reducers, are being implemented. Cover crops are also being used to hold the soil in place and prevent erosion, while reducing a crop’s overall nitrogen needs through bacterial fixation.
Whether farmers rely upon their own knowledge or the agronomic expertise of a fertilizer retailer, certified crop advisor (CCA), farm manager or extension services specialist, BMPs that incorporate one or more elements of the 4R n ... more. |
The History of NARS
The National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) program is an EPA and State/Tribal effort to survey the condition of the nation’s waters.
Initiated in 2005, these statistically-based surveys have begun to provide EPA, States, Tribes and others partners with information to provide nationally consistent reports on the condition of the nation’s waters, to identify national and regional water quality priorities and to evalua ... more. |
... theNational Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) National Workshop under a Cooperative Agreement with EPA’s NARS program.
NARS is acollaborative program between EPA, states and tribes designed to assess the quality of the nation's coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and wetlands using a statistical survey design. The workshop will cover topics relevant to all four waterbody types and the NARS program generally.
For the NARS workshop being held in conjunction with the National Monitoring Conference in Virginia Beach, we are planning to have a get-together on Monday evening (~5 -8 PM ET) and workshop sessions Wednesday afternoon (12:30 – 2:00 PM) and Friday morning (8:00 AM- Noon).
The agenda will c ... more. |
... cordinating theNational Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) National Workshop under a Cooperative Agreement with EPA’s NARS program.
NARS is acollaborative program between EPA, states and tribes designed to assess the quality of the nation's coastal waters, lakes and reservoirs, rivers and streams, and wetlands using a statistical survey design. The workshop coveredtopics relevant to all four waterbody types and the NARS program generally.
For the NARS workshop being held in conjunction with the National Monitoring Conference in Virginia Beach, we are planning to have a get-together on Monday evening (~5 -8 PM ET) and sessions Wednesday afternoon (12:30 – 2:00 PM) and Friday morning (8:00 AM- 1:00 PM).
Although the a ... more. |
... PAYMENTS FOR WESTERN LAKE ERIE BASIN PHOSPHORUS REDUCTIONS
About a dozen farmers in the Western Lake Erie Basin—including parts of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana—are piloting the new Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulus Program (PLUS-UP), which will pay them an estimated $3 to $10 per acre in 2022 to reduce dissolvedreactive phosphorus loads using practices such as no-till and cover crops.
CTIC has led development of the program with funding from U.S. EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI); funding for as many as 5,000 acres of reduction stimulus payments was provided by the Bayer Carbon Program (www.bayercarbon.com).
Through educational materials, workshops, and one-on-one training, CTIC, the Bayer Carbon Program and Heidelberg University will provide sup ... more. |
The objectives of the National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) Workshop and Training Sessions were to bring together EPA, State, Tribal and other partners working on water monitoring issues across waterbody types to:
Discuss and share information on the national aquatic resource surveys and their relationship to other state/tribal programs.
Provide technical training and tools so that States, Tribes and other partners can build their capacity ... more. |
This national workshop will bring together EPA, State, Tribal and other partners working on water monitoring issues across waterbody types to discuss and share information on the national aquatic resource surveys and their relationship to other state/tribal programs, provide technical training and tools so that States, Tribes and other partners can build their capacity to implement aquatic resource surveys at multiple scales (data management, analysis, interpretation) and to rovide examples of how to use the aquatic resource survey methodology to inform state and tribal needs at multiple scales.
&nbs ... more. |
This national workshop will bring together EPA, State, Tribal and other partners working on water monitoring issues across waterbody types to discuss and share information on the national aquatic resource surveys and their relationship to other state/tribal programs, provide technical training and tools so that States, Tribes and other partners can build their capacity to implement aquatic resource surveys at multiple scales (data management, analysis, interpretation) and to rovide examples of how to use the aquatic resource survey methodology to inform state and tribal needs at multiple scales.
&nbs ... more. |
... Farmer, Prairie Farmer and more stopped by to visit and learn more about our current projects as well as our upcoming anniversary celebration.
CTIC members also exhibiting at InfoExpo proudly joined in celebrating our 30th year by displaying the CTIC logo at their booth.
Thanks, Members!
Many visitors to CTIC's booth completed a short survey for a chance to win a Kindle Fire and to take home a gift bag full of goodies. Our special edition note cards - featuring conservation photos from reknown ag photojournalist Harlen Persinger - were a big hit!
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... to celebrate our 30 years of service to agriculture.
Karen Scanlon, CTIC executive director, and Chad Watts, CTIC project director, talked with conference participants about CTIC's longevity, past and current projects and future challenges to agricultural conservation. More than a hundred people visited the booth, and many of those completed a short survey to enter a drawing for a Kindle Fire.
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... grow the food the world needs.
INSTITUTIONAL
The Fertilizer Institute, Gold Institutional Member, sponsors our 30th Anniversary, Tier 1 of Indian Creek as well as a tile monitoring station, the Conservation in Action Tour since 2009, the 2008 Commodity Classic 2008 giveaway and the Nutrient BMP survey. TFI is the leading voice in the fertilizer industry, representing the public policy, communication and statistical needs of producers, manufacturers, retailers and transporters of fertilizer.
INDIVIDUAL
Joe Glassmeyer
We thank individual member Joe Glassmeyer for his long-standing membership and participation in ... more. |
... control frame, and discussing the potential for offset payments for conservation tillage or not. As noted, we intend to determine if the framed treatments will generate greater interest in conservation tillage than unframed treatments, including unframed treatments that mention potential offset opportunities.
Partner
Purdue University
Activities
This project uses interviews and a survey to learn from farmers about their willingness to adopt offset-eligible practices. Those interested in learning more about the adoption of conservation tillage systems were provided with a sheet comparing conservation tillage systems and resources for further information. In addition, CTIC can provide interested farms with information about conservation tillage and related management practices tha ... more. |
Managing Cover Crops Profitablyexplores how and why cover crops work and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into any farming operation.
Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3rd Edition
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The benefits of using cover crops are well established, but adoption in agronomic farming systems is unknown. The objectives of this study were to quantify cover crop use and identify factors associated with their adoption.
Are cover crops being used in the US corn belt?
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... drainage way is graded and shaped to form a smooth, bowl-shaped channel. This area is seeded to sod-forming grasses. Runoff water that flows down the drainage way flows across the grass rather than tearing away soil and forming a larger gully. An outlet is often installed at the base of the drainage way to stabilize the waterway and prevent a new gully from forming.
How it helps
Grass cover protects the drainage way from gully erosion.
Vegetation may act as a filter, absorbing some of the chemicals and nutrients in runoff water.
Vegetation provides cover for small birds and animals.
Planning ahead
Is major land reshaping needed?
Is there a proper outlet for surface runoff at the bottom of the waterway?
Are soil conservation measures installed to prevent siltation?
... more. |
... rows, which would be planted up and down hill and be highly erosive. Field borders are sometimes referred to as picture frames of grass, and are used with contour farming, terrace, buffer strip and contour stripcropping systems. The grass or legume in the strip protects steep field edges from soil erosion, and provides turning and travel lanes around the field.
How it helps
Vegetative cover reduces sheet and rill erosion by slowing water flow.
Vegetation filters runoff to improve water quality.
Grass and legume strips may be harvested in some cases and are easier to turn on than end rows.
Vegetation provides cover and habitat for small birds and animals.
Planning ahead
Will the width be wide enough to turn your equipment?
Can that land qualify for set aside?
Tech ... more. |
Conservation in Action Tour 2024
CTIC brought it's 17th annual tour to Arkansas and celebrated 'Diversity in Conservation: People, Crops, Technology'! Attendees were able to visit 3 amazing farm stops and learn more about the people driving conservation in Arkansas. From rice to cotton and more, attendees were able todiscover how conservation practices are tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the region's varied ecosystems.
CTIC hosted 2 pre-tour webinars designed to enhance attendee's tour experience. These webinars provided valuable insights and information that helped enrich the understanding of Arkansas' conservation practices and initiatives.
CTIC Presen ... more. |
CTIC has partnered with Regrowand The Nature Conservancy on the development, testing and application of the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), an automated system to map tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices using remote sensing data. While OpTIS calculations are performed at the farm-field scale using publicly available data, the privacy of individual producers is fully protected by reporting only spatially-aggregated results at regional and watershed scales.
OpTIS-based data are currently available for the years 2015 through 2021. TheVersion 4.0 dat ... more. |
... Consortium)
Dave Gustafson (Conservation Technology Information Center)
OpTIS 3.0:
Unlocking Water
Quality Insights
April 26, 2023
Description: Featured speakers:
Asmita Murumkar(The Ohio State University)
Soren Rundquist (Regrow Ag)
Dave Gustafson (Conservation Technology Information Center)
OpTIS
High Level Insights
on Cover Crops
April 29, 2022
Description:Featured speakers:
Roderick “Rod” Rejesus (North Carolina State University)
Soren Rundquist (Regrow Ag)
Dave Gustafson (Conservation Technology Information Center)
Hosted by The Nature Conservancy
OpTIS 2.0:
New Data, Regions,
& Insights
June 16, 2021
Description: The Nature Co ... more. |
... with supply chain participants," said Komp. "Through this partnership with farmers, researchers, market makers, and nonprofits, we will create the ability to quantify and reward farmers for their reductions in phosphorus loss. With all the issues related to water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin, we hope to drive improvements through this market-based effort.”
Cover Crop Connections
The project will encourage farmers in the Maumee and Sandusky river basins to reduce P loads by 40 percent using subsurface application, cover crops, and buffer strips. Through educational materials, workshops, and one-on-one training, CTIC, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) and the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) will provide technical support to farmers on sustainable nutrient ma ... more. |
Cover crops can provide a multitude of environmental benefits, including reducing soil erosion, minimizing nitrogen leaching, and increasing soil carbon storage (Delgado et al. 2007; Singer et al. 2007; Hargrove 1991).
Anderson-Wilk, M. 2008. The gap between cover crop knowledge and practice. J. Soil Water Conserv. 63(4):96A.
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Cover crops alter many aspects of the hydrologic cycle.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Cover crop impacts on watershed hydrology.
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This study evaluated how winter cover crops with various applied nitrogen rates affect net revenue and risk from no-tillage corn production.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Stochastic dominance analysis of winter cover crop and nitrogen fertilizer systems for no-tillage c ... more. |
... grass and legumes to reduce soil erosion and improve production.
How it works
Drill or broadcast adapted grass or legumes into a low-producing pasture or a steep, eroding cropland field.
How it helps
Heavy grass cover slows water flow, reducing soil erosion.
Good pastures protect water quality by filtering runoff water and increasing infiltration.
Lush pastures give cover and habitat for wildlife.
As plants recycle and roots die, organic matter in the soil is improved.
Planning ahead
Are selected species suited to your soil types?
Have you chosen species that will help you reduce the use of pes ... more. |
... and wastewater and energy utilities to learn about water quality credit trading. The positive feedback we received on the format and content of the workshop was inspiring and will help us to deliver three more workshops in 2009.
In September, CTIC was awarded a Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS) for a project that promotes the use of cover crops to transition producers to a continuous no-till farming system. Working with partners in Ohio and Indiana, we are pairing producers and crop consultants to work together to identify and incorporate cover crops into their new system. We will track progress and report results as producers begin the transition in spring. Next year, we'll offer workshops and networking meetings to spark new ... more. |
... soil clumps) making it easier for plants to establish roots. Improved soil tilth also can minimize compaction. Of course, compaction is also reduced by reducing trips across the field.
5. Increases organic matter
The latest research shows the more soil is tilled, the more carbon is released to the air and the less carbon is available to build organic matter for future crops. In fact, carbon accounts for about half of organic matter.
6. Traps soil moisture to improve water availability
Keeping crop residue on the surface traps water in the soil by providing shade. The shade reduces water evaporation. In addition, residue acts as tiny dams slowing runoff and increasing the opportunity for water to soak into the soil. Another way infiltration inc ... more. |
... in efficiency and technology is paying off for the company, producers and environment. For example, Deere’s smallest U.S.-made combine is more productive than Deere’s largest machine of just 10 years ago.
Photo courtesy of John Deere.
Deere also continues to make strides in improving engines and power trains, he says.
For example, Deere's 8430 row-crop tractor, with Tier III technology, emits 50 percent less particulate matter and 30 percent less nitrogen oxide than its predecessor, the 8420, introduced in 2002, Mann says.
“At the same time, this tractor set an all-time record as the most fuel-efficient row-crop tractor ever tested at the Nebraska Tractor Test Lab,” he adds. “The new 8320R tractor, introduced for model ... more. |
Oat, rye, and an oat-rye mixture were overseeded into soybean in August to determine the shoot dry matter and residue cover produced by these cover crops and their effect on subsequent soybean and corn yield.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Oat and rye overseeded into soybean as fall cover crops in the upper Midwest.
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Improving the quality and quantity of woodland growing stock and maintaining ground cover and litter for soil and water conservation.
How it works
Existing woodland or other suitable land is dedicated to timber production. Livestock is excluded. Optimum tree populations are determined by the kinds of trees planted and their adaptability to your soils. Existing trees or newly planted trees are thinned, pruned and harvested to maintain desired production. Twigs, limbs and other ... more. |
... time with friends and family.
Dan Coffman
MN Soil Health Specialist
Dan was born and raised in West Concord, MN on a hobby farm. He attended North Dakota State University majoring in Agricultural Systems Management with a minor in Soil Science
Worked for several co-op's in ND, a seed dealership and local farmer in MN gaining experience in precision agriculture and cover crops. He received the inspiration for conservation from his Dad, Tom Coffman who was a District Conservationist for the NRCS in Rice County, MN. He started his farm operation in 2019 while driving truck part time. He utilizes many soil health practices on his farm including no-till, strip-till, cover crops and livestock integration. Additionally, he has transitioned about 50% of his acres to org ... more. |
Explore The Data
Croplands
Remote sensing-derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for mapping tillage, residue cover, winter cover, and soil health practices. Data are currently available for the years 2015 through 2021.
The available data include the level of adoption of cover crops and conservation tillage practices, as well as soil and GHG outcomes based on the use of this practice-adoption data as input to the DNDC model. Access to these conservation practice data by crop rotation is available to registe ... more. |
... value of a pound of DRP at $100, a measure of the environmental damage it can cause and the cost of trying to remove it from water supplies to prevent it from enlarging the harmful algal blooms (HABs) that plague Lake Erie.
DRP also feeds plants, so every pound of DRP that leaves a field is depriving the crop of vital nutrients. By piloting PLUS-UP, we demonstrated that no-till and cover crops can significantly reduce the off-farm movement of DRP into surface waters. Judy Smith and Dr. Laura Johnson at Heidelberg University's National Water Quality Research Center demonstrated with their models that slope and soil type dramatically impact DRP loss from a field—a vital insight that can help us target DRP credits and BMP (best management practice) efforts where they can d ... more. |
Corn and Soybean Digest:
All In On Cover Crops
Nitrogen Cycling and Cover Crops
Time Is Money
Landowners Support Cover Crops
Penton Agriculture Magazines:
Cover Crop Success
With Each Season Comes New Lessons
Stick With It
A Seed Corn, Covers Duet
Farmers Join Nat'l Study on Cover Crops
Other Sources:
No-Till, Cover Crops from a Farmer's Point of View
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Cover crops with limited irrigation can increase yields, crop quality, and nutrient and water use efficiencies while protecting the environment.
Delgado, J.A., M. A. Dillon, R. T. Sparks, and S. Y.C. Essah. 2007. A decade of advances in cover crops. J. Soil Water Conserv. 62(5):110A-117A.
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CTIC is working with partners in the GLCCI program to offer six workshops to provide information to producers about the benefits of cover crops and how to use them. Each workshops will take place from 8:45am to 3:30pm, with registration beginning at 8:00am. Click here to view a general agenda. The speakers and topics vary from workshop to workshop, but are all very similar programs. Specifics for each workshop and links for online registration can be found below. Online registration is $20 or $30 at the door. The registration feel ... more. |
... Hydrology Tool, or equivalent analytic tools. The evaluation must incorporate 100 years of data to show that the facility is designed, built and managed to absolutely prevent discharge in storage, during storms and after land application.
Wiedeman points out that accidents and other occasional discharges are not uncommon in the livestock industry, but they are illegal unless they are covered by an NPDES permit – a no-discharge certification provides only partial legal cover or protection.
Nutrient Management Plans
Preventing discharges of nutrients, fecal coliform and other contents of manure encompasses more than the capacity of lagoons and dikes. It’s about soils, hydrology and management, too. Nutrient management plans address those other fact ... more. |
Research & Technology Briefs
By Rachel Doctor
Midwest Cover Crops Council Web Site Introduced
Midwestern farmers wanting to learn more about cover crops now have a central information source where they can easily find practical ways to use them.
The Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC) recently introduced a Web site as an educational tool to help expand the knowledge compiled since the group's formation two years ago to farmers and others in a ... more. |
Cover Crop Webinars (Cisco Seeds)
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Maintaining environmental quality implies sustainable agricultural production systems that preserve and prated soil resources.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Cover crop and soil quality interactions in agroecosystems.
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CTIC's cover crop projects are working with numerous partners to bring quality field days to producers throughout our project areas. Click here to find details about the many events.
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... of continuous corn vs. rotations in irrigated or dryland conditions. The bulletin is online and the simple, fill-in-the-blank spreadsheets are also online. Even continuous corn can work well in a continuous no-till program that has fostered good soil structure and drainage, Gillespie says, at least in his 28-inch rainfall zone. For wetter areas of the Corn Belt, Gillespie recommends exploring cover crops to pull excess moisture from the soil and turn it into organic-matter-boosting biomass.
Minnesota grower Tony Thompson is one of those growers. He installed 16 control structures on a 140-acre field near Windom, Minn., to control drainage water. Thompson's slope is about one percent, so each structure manages a zone of about nin ... more. |
... researchers, The Ohio State University's David Culver, says he can't say farming is to blame for any of the algae problems he's seen, nor can he rule out any other potential sources of pollution, especially sewer contamination.
In fact, the conservation practices of no-till and high-residue mulching improve soil tilth and reduce runoff and erosion, as do other practices such as cover crops and buffers. Several other things farmers can do to decrease the amounts of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) in the water supply are listed below. The bottom line is that there is no correlation between no-till farming and increased phosphorus runoff.
To read the full article from The Toledo Blade, visit: toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080907/COLUMNIST42/809070333
... more. |
... to be a part of this informative and noteworthy event. The tour, sponsored by Specialty Fertilizer Products (SFP), showcases successful farmers who have mastered innovative conservation practices in their profitable operations.
Starkey Farms Partnership , Brownsburg, Indiana
• 8 years of continuous no-till
• Gradually incorporated 200 acres of annual ryegrass as cover crop
• Gypsum added as a soil amendment to improve soil structure and infiltration
• Tile Nitrogen outflow monitored by a local university because the farm is within a watershed that supplies drinking water to nearby Indianapolis
Lamb Farms , Lebanon, Indiana
• 84% of corn and soybeans are no-till or strip-till
• RTK systems used to apply and manage nutrients
... more. |
... on the Farmer’s enrollment of Fields into the Phosphorous Load Reduction Stimulus Program (“PLUS-UP”).
CTIC agreed to pay Farmer $100 per pound of load reductions of dissolved reactive phosphorous based on computer modeling performed by Heidelberg University, compared against a baseline of no Conservation “Practices”: i.e., conventional tillage, no cover crops, and none of any of the other relevant conservation practices employed by the Farmer on the enrolled Fields between harvest of the 2021 crop and planting of the 2022 crop.
Once planting of the 2022 crop has been completed for the enrolled Fields, the Farmer is asked to affirm the conservation practices employed on each Field, using this form. Farmers wishing to receive payment ... more. |
Increase soil organic matter
Increase infiltration of water into the soil
Decrease runoff to nearby waterways
Decrease soil erosion and transport to nearby waterways
Conserve soil moisture
Reduce soil compaction
Increase nutrient availability to the crop
Reduce nitrate leaching to groundwater
Supply nitrogen to following crop
Suppress weeds, potential reducing the need for herbicides
Suppress soil-born diseases and nematodes, potentially reducing the need for insecticides
Attract beneficial insects such as pollinators
Increase yields of the following crop
Improve soil quality
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... applied to their fields, that nitrogen can enter nearby waterways, creating water-quality issues and adding to already established hypoxic zones, he adds.
Another potential problem with applying anhydrous in a wet fall: heavy, silty clay soils will not crumble and reseal the slot though which nitrogen is applied, Reicosky says.
“Unless a farmer takes the precautions to cover that gap, he runs the risk of losing some of that nitrogen,” he says.
And, as the season progresses, frozen soil becomes an obstacle to applying fall anhydrous.
“Once they get one to four inches of frozen soil, they’re done,” Reicosky says.
Dan Towery, owner of Ag Conservation Solutions in Lafayette, Ind., advises farmers to apply nitrogen before sprin ... more. |
... when food supplies are in short supply.
How it helps
Standing crops with unharvested grain give food to wildlife that may
otherwise not be accessible after heavy snows or ice.
A food plot helps maintain wildlife on your farm by providing food.
Planning ahead
Will the crop you plan to plant or leave standing in the field attract the
wildlife you want?
Is there adequate cover and water near the food plot to support wildlife?
Are you endangering wildlife by placing the food plot too close to high
traffic areas?
Tech notes
Planting dates range from March 1 to June 15 depending on the crop. *
Food plots should be planted on the least erosive areas of the selected
field.
Plots on slopes steeper than 5% should be planted on the contour.
A plot can be pl ... more. |
... August 21 will be spent in the field visiting farms, demonstration plots, research trials and an ag retail site for a comprehensive look at how Iowa farmers are using a wide range of conservation farming systems to achieve the goals of the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
Unique Networking Opportunity
The tour is expected to draw more than 200 farmers, crop consultants, conservation specialists, scientists, agribusiness leaders, policy makers and non-profit organization staffers from across the country.
"The Conservation in Action Tour format provides a unique opportunity not only to see conservation practices at work in real-world conditions, but to share that experience with people you ordinarily wouldn't have an opportunity ... more. |
... issue of Partners. (Click here for article.)
A popular topic today is excess nutrients in the environment. From the Gulf of Mexico to the Chesapeake Bay, the Great Lakes to the Pacific Northwest, policymakers look to agriculture to improve water quality and help reduce nutrients in ground and surface water.
Many conventional nitrogen application methods apply fertilizer in advance of crop needs. The delay between nitrogen application and crop uptake increases the chance for environmental losses through leaching, volatilization, and denitrification.
* Leaching: the movement of plant nutrients in the soil solution below the root zone. This occurs most frequently in coarse-textured, cracked or sandy soils, during higher levels of precipitation or irrigation, with excessively app ... more. |
No Tillage: The relationship between no tillage, crop residues, plants and soil nutrition
In his second book on no-till farming, Chilean farmer Carlos Crovetto has delved into the inner workings of the soil and meticulously explained the relationship between no-till, crop residues, soil nutrition and crop production.
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Welcome to the first newsletter of the PLUS-UP program, our pilot project for credit-funded dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) reduction in the Western Lake Erie Basin. PLUS-UP stands for Phosphorous Load-Reduction Stimulus Program, and the name sums up our approach: to raise and disburse stimulus funds that help farmers cover the cost and management of practices that reduce phosphorus loads that feed harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie.
Our goal with the PLUS-UP pilot project has been to develop an efficient, effective program. That's why we focused on DRP, which is completely available to algae (and to crops, making its loss from farms a big economic blow as well as an environmental one). University rese ... more. |
Welcome to the first newsletter of the PLUS-UP program, our pilot project for credit-funded dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) reduction in the Western Lake Erie Basin. PLUS-UP stands for Phosphorous Load-Reduction Stimulus Program, and the name sums up our approach: to raise and disburse stimulus funds that help farmers cover the cost and management of practices that reduce phosphorus loads that feed harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie.
Our goal with the PLUS-UP pilot project has been to develop an efficient, effective program. That's why we focused on DRP, which is completely available to algae (and to crops, making its loss from farms a big economic blow as well as an environmental one). University rese ... more. |
Help CTIC pencil out the economic and environmental benefits of cover crops through the "Economic, Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Cover Crops" project. Below, sign up for our cover crops mailing list or let us know that you are interested in working with us.
For more information on the project, check out our project webpage.
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Scaling Up Water Quality Efforts in Iowa
Wallaces Farmer, August 2018
Landowners Support Cover Crops
Corn and Soybean Digest, August 2018
Time Is Money
Corn and Soybean Digest, July 2018
Nitrogen Cycling and Cover Crops
Corn and Soybean Digest, June 2018
All In On Cover Crop
Corn and Soybean Digest, April 2018
Study Links Best Management Practices To Cleaner Watershed
Environmental Change Initiative, June 2016
... more. |
Oat and rye cover crops have the potential to reduce erosion when following soybean crops in Iowa.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Small grain cover crops and wheel traffic effects on infiltration, runoff, and erosion.
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Cover cropping impacts soil properties in many positive ways. These include higher total carbon, which usually contributes to increased cation exchange capacity and water-holding capacity.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Biological and bioc ... more. |
Yield data for various applied nitrogen rates during 1986 through 1995 were used to estimate corn yield response functions for hairy vetch, crimson clover, winter wheat, and no cover alternatives.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Economic analysis of the effects of winter cover crops on no-tillage corn yield response to applied nitrogen.
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... farmers for reducing phosphorus levels in the waterways of the Western Lake Erie Basin.
With other partners, we are getting ready to release an expanded data set from our Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS). In addition to expanding the geography and adding another year of data, we are fine-tuning it to make OpTIS data a mainstay of evaluating changes in tillage and cover crop practices across a growing expanse of the Corn Belt.
We are constantly finding new ways to share information on cover crops, soil health, conservation practices from deep in the field to the edges of fields, as well as how conservation systems affect nitrogen and carbon cycles. Whether it's through webinars, online outlets or appropriately distanced live events, we will use ... more. |
By adopting conservation practices like cover crops and reduced tillage or no-till, farmers can help reduce the effects of climate change, including soil erosion, declining land productivity and desertification, according to Climate Change and Land, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released today. More than 100 experts from 52 countries contributed to the report.
Mike Komp, executive director of t ... more. |
... and water management – composting demonstration, floodplain management considerations and constructed wetlands
Stop #3 – Arena Valley, Wilder, Idaho
Sustainability, nutrient management and conservation systems
Potato research trials – nitrogen efficiency, new varieties and bio-pesticides
Cropping systems – rotations, equipment and cover crops
Sustainability audits
Potato harvest demonstration
Stop #4 – McIntyre Farm, Caldwell, Idaho
Soil health systems
Bringing livestock back into the system, grazing management, cover crops and soil pit
Nutrient and water management – irrigation water use and rainfall simulator
See the Action:
Check out the 2016 tour photo gallery t ... more. |
... in agriculture.
Local stakeholder groups focus onimproving nutrient managementin Mississippi River Basin watersheds. CTIC led the formation of three collaborative groups, all including public and private members, to develop and oversee projects and programs in three regions: southern Minnesota, Missouri Bootheel and Upper Wabash River Watershed.
To help producersintegrate cover crops and adopt a continuous no-till system, CTIC connected producers with crop consultants for customized assistance and brought in expertise from the Midwest Cover Crops Council.
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Dan Forgey, farm manager at Cronin Farms in South Dakota, has been using no-till management for more than 17 years. Over that time, Forgey has developed a keen understanding of how his farming system works and where new challenges and opportunities exist.
The Next Step: Adding Cover Crop to a No-Till System (Video)
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Using Cover Crops to Facilitate the Transition to Continuous No-Till
Project Description
Farmer Profiles
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Cover Crops
Species Information
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... a slope to divert runoff away from bottom lands. A diversion may also be used to divert runoff flows away from a feedlot, or to collect and direct water to a pond.
How it helps
Reduces soil erosion on lowlands by catching runoff water and preventing it from reaching farmland below.
Vegetation in the diversion channel filters runoff water, improving water quality.
Vegetation provides cover for small birds and animals.
Allows better crop growth on bottom land soils.
Planning ahead
Are there proper soil conservation measures installed to prevent the diversion from filling with sediment?
Is the outlet planned in a location which will not cause erosion?
Is the diversion and outlet large enough to handle the runoff amount for that location?
Tech notes
Diversions ca ... more. |
... his son Dave and his son-in-law Chris have also built a thriving manure custom application business—last year, they applied more than 25 million gallons of manure. They’ve designed and built application equipment to deliver manure to the soil as directly and odor-free as possible, with minimal disturbance of surface crop residues. When Dave and Chris get going, they can cover 6 to 11 acres an hour, delivering as much as 7,500 gallons of manure per acre at up to 3.5 mph.
On a 22-foot toolbar, they mounted heavy Genesis Tillage aeration tines at a 7-degree offset in front of huge nozzles to create what Dave Beard calls a “poke, lift, squirt” surface-application system. On another toolbar, the family mounted 11 straight coulters on 22-inch cen ... more. |
... well as indirect and direct nitrous oxide) are based on the use of the practice-adoption data as input to the DNDC model. Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021.
The Denitrification-Decomposition (DNDC) model was used to simulate carbon and nitrogen soil dynamics as a function of the soil health management practices monitored by OpTIS (crop diversity, conservation tillage, and cover crops). As with previous releases, all data are undergoing various forms of peer review and may be updated in the future. If you see a region that is "grayed-out," that means there were insufficient data available for the DNDC model to be run.
Explore the Cropland DNDC Modeling Results
Cropland DNDC Modeling
Data are available for soil carbon changes and GHG emi ... more. |
Working closely with US EPA, CTIC is taking the agency's three-day National Recreational Water Quality Workshop virtual this year. Click here for the agenda.
The workshop provides a nationwide forum for recreational water quality managers, stakeholders, researchers and public health officials at all levels to share information and ideas about implementing successful recreati ... more. |
For four decades, CTIC has brought a remarkable range of people to the table to talk about conservation agriculture. Nowhere else is there such a great opportunity to meet policy makers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, researchers, conservation specialists, crop consultants and others...all drawn together by a mutual interest in conservation technologies that are better for farmers and better for the environment.
CTIC is a membership organization, which means your membership—your participation and your dues—keep the doors open. You also give us our momentum, driving us forward on our mission to Connect, Inform and Champi ... more. |
Spying on Residue
Remote Sensing of Crop Residue Cover and Soil Tillage Intensity
Remote Sensing the Spacial Distribution of Crop Residues
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... agricultural conservation systems:
CONSERVATION TILLAGE
On-Farm Comparison of Conservation Tillage Systems for Corn Following Soybeans assists producers and their advisors in selecting a conservation tillage system for corn in a corn-soybean rotation.
Conservation Tillage Series provides information on crop rotation, weed management, soil compaction, nutrient management, cover crops and economic statistics.
NO-TILL
Energy Estimator for Tillage estimates diesel fuel use and costs in production of your area’s key crops and compares the potential energy savings of conventional tillage and alternative tillage systems.
60 Ways Farmers Can Protect Surface Water provides ideas on how producers can protect water quality without sacrificing pro ... more. |
... realistic yield goals?
Are proper soil conservation measures installed?
Have you accounted for nitrogen credits produced by legume crops?
Tech notes
Choose best application method. Use broadcast, starter, surface band or injection.
Use the late spring nitrogen test when appropriate when corn plants are between 6 to 12 inches tall. *
Avoid applying manure on frozen or snow-covered ground if possible.
Use nitrogen inhibitor if nitrogen is fall applied. *
Use nitrogen monitor if applying anhydrous ammonia to apply correct amount.
Maintenance
Test soils once every 2-4 years according to Extension recommendations. *
Analyze manure and other organic waste for nutrient content before field application.
Establish a winter cover crop of there's a poss ... more. |
... Tips
10.
Soil Management: Providing sufficient amounts of crop residue on the soil surface improves organic matter of the soil. Soil testing and applying proper amounts of fertilizer and micronutrients provides for optimum growing environment.
9.
Cultural Practices: The pest’s environment is disrupted by rotating crops, and timely harvesting of crops. Planting cover crops can suppress weed pressure and provide nitrogen and better soil tilth.
8.
Planting: Plant crops that have good vigor and that can tolerate or resist common problems. The timing of planting should coincide within the optimum planting dates recommended. Row spacing, intercropping, trap crops and other alternative strategies can be looked at to discourage or detract pests.
7.
... more. |
Click on any of the links below for full video coverage of each of the presentations from the program.
Summary
A brief summary of CTIC's Ag Consultants Training at the 2019 Iowa Agribusiness Showcase and Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, featuring Mike Naig (IDALS), Jason Gomes (North Iowa Agronomy Partners), Greg Wandrey (The Nature Conservancy/4Rs Plus), Robert Mier (USDA-NRCS), Keegan Kult (Ag Drainage Management Coalit ... more. |
... differences in nitrogen rates and yields with different urea application times.
Spring timing gave the best return to nitrogen dollars spent. Fall had the worst return and lowest yield. 2011 weather patterns favored spring application... Read more.
Nitrogen Application Timing
Select the Right Time for nitrogen application. Apply the Right Rate of fertilizer to meet crop needs.
Costs of inputs make it important to provide enough N so the crop is never... Read more.
Phosphorus Sidedress with MicroEssentials®
A soil test of the field showed a relatively low phosphorus level, so we demonstrated The Mosaic Company's MicroEssentials applied as a side-dress (plant nutrients placed on or in the soil near the roots of a growing crop t ... more. |
WinMax is a computer program developed at Purdue University to calculate and compare economic returns on crop production.
From 1991-1998, WinMax and its earlier DOS version were used to manage data for the national Farming for Maximum Efficiency program (The MAX®) sponsored byCTICand Successful Farming magazine.
WinMax manages crop input data, calculates crop fertilizer recommendations, generates production cost and nutrient management worksheets, and allows sets of custom input c ... more. |
... crop trials involving multiple rates of any added nutrient. It provides the an estimate of optimum rate for a single-year response - the most economic rate (MERN) at which it is profitable to apply a purchased nutrient - from limited data. It can also estimate several basic forms of nutrient use efficiency (NUE): partial factor productivity, agronomic efficiency, partial nutrient balance, and recovery efficiency. Source: International Plant Nutrition Institute
More...
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... easier for farmers through better water management.
“Producers live in a risky world,” says Agri Drain President Charlie Schafer. “This is one way to help put them in the driver’s seat.”
With Manual Water Level Control Structures, producers manage water in the soil profile according to weather conditions and needs of the crop and the environment.
Photo courtesy of Agri Drain
Agri Drain designs and manufactures products – such as Water Level Control Structures and Smart Drainage Systems – to help land improvement contractors and producers create more productive surface and subsurface water management systems.
Manual and Automatic Water Level Control Structures provide the ability to ... more. |
... across widely diverse sectors – from agriculture to energy to transportation – increasingly rely on NOAA for information about climate change. To meet these requests, the NOAA Climate Service office has been established to bring together the agency’s climate science and service delivery capabilities.
For the full story, visit www.noaa.gov/climate.html.
Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Outreach announces a new planning resource for farmers seeking sound, science-based guidelines for managing crop rotations in organic farming.
Crop Rotation on Organic Farms: A Planning Manual helps farmers use rotations to build better soil; control pests, weeds and diseases; and devel ... more. |
... one of which is ensuring environmental stewardship for responsible land and natural resource use.
Photo courtesy of CTIC
Leading the way
Mosaic Company is a pioneer of progression in agricultural sustainability
By Christy Couch Lee
Just five years ago, the Mosaic Company launched as the second-largest crop nutrition firm, when Cargill Crop Nutrition and IMC Global Inc, joined forces. Today, this company is a leader in providing phosphate and potash for worldwide agriculture.
Mosaic takes pride in its efforts to increase sustainability, and these efforts have recently been highlighted in the Mosaic 2009 Sustainability Report. In addition, Mosaic has taken the bold step of becoming the first CTI ... more. |
Economic and Environmental Benefits
Profit.
Managing to maximize return on your cropping investment (ROI) requires the perfect combination of science, technology, art, and luck. Some factors, like the weather, still require a bit of luck. Thankfully, science and technology continue to make strides, reducing the impact of uncontrollable factors like the weather and markets. This reduces the risk inherent in farming. By using a plan to analyze the crop nutrient management portion o ... more. |
... reduction market in the Western Lake Erie Basin (Maumee, Sandusky, and Cedar-Portage watersheds, see map). Growers within the indicated watersheds are now being sought to participate in this pilot market. The “Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulation Program” (PLUS-UP) payments now being offered to growers are intended to help offset their costs for the use of in-field practices—cover crops and no-till—which yield quantifiable reductions in the amount of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) delivered to the adjacent surface water bodies that drain to Lake Erie. CTIC’s partner in the program, Heidelberg University, is quantifying the reductions for each participating grower using the Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT) model and reporting this to CTIC. CTIC will provide cas ... more. |
... 40th Anniversary Celebration!
Register now for the September 12-13 Conservation in Action Tour and CTIC 40th Anniversary Celebration, in St. Louis.
Here are some highlights:
CTIC 40th Anniversary Gala in St. Louis' Forest Park on Monday evening, September 12.
September 13 field tour at the Henry White Experimental Farm in St. Clair County, Illinois, including cover crops, conservation tillage systems, and healthy pollinator habitat alongside fields managed with all the tools of modern agriculture technology.
Panel discussions on carbon-smart farming, remote sensing technology, and the latest approaches to nutrient management.
An Ag Tech Showcase and tour of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
Register now online—space is limit ... more. |
The Phosphorus Load-Reduction Stimulus (PLUS-UP) Program is paying 10 growers this summer for reducing dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) loads in the Western Lake Erie Basin on 104 fields covering more than 5,300 acres. Payments average $9.12 per acre.
The program, which emphasizes the role of no-till and cover crops in reducing the off-farm movement of DRP into surface waters, is detailed in this interactive story map.
CTIC and The Andersons will host a 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship meeting in Maumee, Ohio, on August 23. A PLUS-UP stakeholder workshop will be held th ... more. |
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CRD Winter Cover Crops
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Phosphorus (P) runoff from agricultural soils is a concern due to eutrophication.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Effect of cover crops established at time of corn planting on phosphorus runoff from soils before and after dairy manure application.
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... water standards of 10 mg NO3−-N L−1 (10 ppm) for some areas of the San Luis Valley of south central Colorado.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Sequential NLEAP simulations to examine effect of early and late planted winter cover crops on nitrogen dynamics.
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... season, an adequate level of mineralized soil N is essential in order to obtain optimum corn (Zea mays L.) growth and productivity.
<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;Calibri" ,"sans-serif";times="" new="" roman";times="" roman";"="">Enhancing soil nitrogen mineralization and corn yield with overseeded cover crops.
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The Economics of Cover Crops Presentation
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Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage Reduce NPS Pollution
Project Description
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... it works
A variety of desired tree species, either seedlings or seeds, are planted mechanically or by hand in understocked woodlands or open fields. Tree species are matched with soil types and selected to prevent soil erosion, increase income, or boost productivity of existing woodland.
How it helps
Improving stands of woodlands can increase profits.
Ground cover created by trees and associated debris protects soil from rill and sheet erosion.
Ground cover also protects water quality by filtering excess nutrients and chemicals from surface runoff and increasing infiltration rates.
Healthy, well-managed woodlands provide long-term wildlife habitat.
Planning ahead
Is the soil suitable for producing wood crops?
Is the soil suitable for the tree ... more. |
... of no-till certification program. Looking at certification program and how it can be
used in “put teeth” into NTOP message. Also working to take over one of KSU research farms,
in heart of typical Kansas soil. Preparing for grower meeting in March; Dave Brandt coming back
to attend and speak.
NRCS –Bill: still want effort to get RUSLE 2 databases (which are updated for cover crops and
different management systems) disseminated throughout the region. Want to have training for
state agronomist to understand how to use systems like continuous cover and no-till. Bill
Puckett leaving HQ to be state conservationist in Alabama.
CTIC – Tour planned for July 29, 2009 and invites all CASA to attend. Requested success
stories for information campaign.
Next S ... more. |
Rows of trees and shrubs that protect areas from wind and provide food and cover for wildlife.
How it works
Multiple rows of coniferous trees or a combination of coniferous and deciduous trees are planted to protect a farmstead or feedlot from wind and snow. One or two rows of shrubs are also often planted. The established windbreak slows wind on the downwind side of the windbreak for a distance of 10 times the height of the t ... more. |
... area of concentrated water runoff to act similar to a terrace. It traps sediment and water running off farmland above the structure, preventing it from reaching farmland below.
How it helps
Basins improve water quality by trapping sediment on uplands and preventing it from reaching water bodies.
Structures reduce gully erosion by controlling water flow within a drainage area. Grass cover may provide habitat for wildlife.
Planning ahead
Will basins be part of an existing terrace system?
Is the site too steep for the basin to work properly or be economically feasible?
Can adequate outlets be provided?
Tech notes
The uncontrolled area draining into the basin must not exceed 50 acres. *
Build the basin large enough to control the runoff from a 10-year storm with ... more. |
... riprap and gabions are installed along the edges of a stream to buffer the banks from heavy stream flow and reduce erosion. Fencing prevents cattle from trampling banks, destroying vegetation and stirring up sediment in the streambed. A buffer zone of vegetation along the streambank filters runoff and may also absorb excess nutrients and chemicals.
How it helps
Streambanks are covered with rocks, grass, trees or other cover to reduce erosion.
Better water quality results from reducing amounts of nutrients, chemicals, animal waste and sediment entering the stream.
Buffer zones provide cover and habitat for birds and small animals.
Planning ahead
Have you planned to install an offstream water system for livestock or limited livestock access to the stream?
Are pro ... more. |
... reach water bodies or water sources including wells.
How it works
Strips of grass, trees and/or shrubs slow water flow and cause contaminants like sediment, pesticides, and fertilizers to collect in vegetation. Collected nutrients are used by the vegetation, rather than entering water supplies. Filtered water then enters water bodies.
How it helps
Grass, trees and shrubs provide cover for small birds and animals.
Ground cover reduces soil erosion.
The vegetative strip moves rowcrop operations farther from a stream.
Vegetation prevents contaminants from entering water bodies, protecting water quality.
Planning ahead
Are adequate soil conservation measures installed above filter strips?
Are plants adapted to your soil types?
Have you selected the correct specie ... more. |
... chain achieve their economic and environmental sustainability goals.
Hall of Fame
Frank Lessiter has served as editor of No-Till Farmer for 51 years, since the publication was launched in 1972. He and wife, Pam, acquired No-Till Farmer and established Lessiter Media in Brookfield, Wis., to acquire the magazine in 1981. Today, the 40-person company also publishes Strip-Till Farmer and Cover Crop Strategies and has run the National No-Tillage Conference since 1993.
The Conservation in Action tour is a homecoming for Lessiter, who was raised on a 6-generation Michigan Centennial Farm in Lake Orion, Mich., which he and his son Mike visited the week of the award ceremony. Lessiter is a dairy science graduate from Michigan State University.
Lessiter's contributions to conservat ... more. |
... learned this good news just after celebrating its 40th Anniversary last week in St. Louis, while also conducting its 15th annual Conservation in Action Tour, which attracted a diverse group of nearly 150 participants including farmers, crop consultants, researchers, agribusiness leaders, conservation staffers, and policymakers. During the morning, attendees saw climate smart practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage at work in the field. Later, they moved indoors to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to hear from a number of experts about what the future will bring in several key climate smart areas: soil carbon technologies, data science, remote sensing, and advanced nutrient technologies.
About the Conservation Technology Information Center
The Conservat ... more. |
... learned this good news just after celebrating its 40th Anniversary last week in St. Louis, while also conducting its 15th annual Conservation in Action Tour, which attracted a diverse group of nearly 150 participants including farmers, crop consultants, researchers, agribusiness leaders, conservation staffers, and policymakers. During the morning, attendees saw climate smart practices such as cover crops and conservation tillage at work in the field. Later, they moved indoors to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to hear from a number of experts about what the future will bring in several key climate smart areas: soil carbon technologies, data science, remote sensing, and advanced nutrient technologies.
About the Conservation Technology Information Center
The Conservat ... more. |
Corn and Soybean Digest, April 2018
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CTIC Projects « Cover Crops Research and Demonstration « Let's Do the Math On Cover Crops
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From cover crop plots to Congressional chambers to the world stage, we spread the word about conservation farming success. Read more.
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... buffers provide another line of defense to filter water both surface
and shallow ground water before it enters streams and lakes.
Can reduce up to 80% of sediment.
Reduces 40% (on average) of phosphorous.
Removes a significant amount of nitrate; stores it in plant material.
Up to 60% of pathogens removed from runoff.
Provides a source of food, nesting cover and shelter for wildlife.
Improves fish habitat.
Other Benefits
Reduces wind erosion.
Slows water runoff.
Reduces downstream flooding.
Stabilizes stream banks.
Establishment of natural vegetation.
Adds visual aesthetics to the landscape.
Greater Profits
Often provides income from local, stat ... more. |
Date
Location
Contact
February 21
Ogemaw County
Ogemaw Co MSU Extension Office
Rifle River Watershed
West Branch, MI
Paul Gross
989-772-0911x302
grossp@msu ... more. |
... the latest techniques and technologies, to avoid the potential financial and environmental risks of nitrogen and phosphorus reaching surface and ground water. Learn about research developments and new tools for improving on-farm nutrient efficiency.
Contact:brian.c.williams@state.mn.us
Please register by calling 651-201-6141. Your fee of $10 at the door will cover your refreshments and lunch.
Conference Presentations
Speaker Contact Information and Biographies
News Release
Download Conference Brochure
Agenda
Poster Booth Abstracts
Corporate Sponsor:
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... for vegetation type, herbaceous net primary productivity (NPP), herbaceous NPP trends, and herbaceous NPP deviation from what would be expected based on weather alone.
Remote-sensing derived, CONUS-wide grassland data for various vegetation type and health metrics. Data are currently available for the years 2015-2021. The vegetation health data are available at the watershed (HUC8) and Crop Reporting District (CRD) geographic scales.
Explore the Vegetation Types and Productivity
Vegetation Types
Annual average plant functional type (PFT) by HUC8 and CRD for years spanning 2015 to 2021.
PFTs include: Annual Forbs & Grasses, Perennial Forbs & Grasses, Shrubs, Trees, and Bare Ground.
View Data
Data Release April 2024
Herbaceous NPP
He ... more. |
40 YEARS OF CONSERVATION IN ACTION
In 2022, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) is celebrating 40 years of Conservation in Action. That's four decades of bringing a wide range of people to the table to explore conservation farming systems from nearly every angle. Forty years of growth and expansion...from our early projects promoting no-till to our current programs that help farmers, c ... more. |
... and precision application of inputs. They will also describe their 220-acre AGvocacy Learning Farm project.
New Century FS Melbourne Service Center. Facility manager Dan Hart and his team will open their state-of-the-art plant for a look at commercial-scale management of fertilizer, seed treatments and other inputs. The FS team will also provide an exploration of the role of Certified Crop Advisors in implementing conservation and production goals.
LICA Demonstration Farm, Melbourne. The tour will visit the 80-acre home of a wide range of constructed conservation systems for an up-close look at many in-field and edge-of-field practices that protect water quality and build healthy soils.
Tesdell Century Farm, Slater. This fifth-generation farm is home to an installation of ... more. |
About the Project
Through a collaborative agreement with the US EPA, CTIC will provide leadership and technical support to successfully plan, organize, coordinate, evaluate and share information from five workshops held between 2015 and 2020.
These workshops will provide attendees the foundation to target, design, and implement conservation practices for their clients. Practices covered will include in-field nutrient management, drainage water management systems, bioreactors, saturated buffers and more. CTIC will host specific practice summaries and other materials that will help this project’s target audience.
In addition to the US EPA’s assistance, the following partners ensure that these workshops provide value to and are well attended by their membership:
... more. |
... 22
1:00 to 4:30 PM—Stuttgart Public Library
Topics of discussion
Identify symptoms suggesting need for conservation - Mike Taylor, Farmer (30 min)
Selecting right practices - John Lee, NRCS (90 min)
Resources for technical support - Keith Scoggins, NRCS
Selecting a contractor - Keith Scoggins, NRCS
Arkansas’ nutrient reduction strategy and how practices covered by this training protect water quality - Ken Brazil, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (15-30 min)
Wednesday August 23
8:00 AM—Check-in, coffee and donuts at Stuttgart Public Library
8:30 AM—Bus departs for Terry Dabbs’ farm
Outdoors on the farm
Discovery Farms: Water quality monitoring as a driver of voluntary conservation ... more. |
... August 22, 2017
1:00 to 4:30 PM - Stuttgart Public Library
Topics of discussion
Identify symptoms suggesting need for conservation - Mike Taylor, Farmer (30 min)
Selecting right practices - John Lee, NRCS (90 min)
Resources for technical support - Keith Scoggins, NRCS
Selecting a contractor - Keith Scoggins, NRCS
Arkansas’ nutrient reduction strategy and how practices covered by this training protect water quality - Ken Brazil, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (15-30 min)
Wednesday August 23
8:00 AM - Check-in, coffee and donuts at Stuttgart Public Library
8:30 AM—Bus departs for Terry Dabbs’ farm
Outdoors on the farm
Discovery Farms: Water quality monitoring as a driver of voluntary conservation adoption - Mike Daniels, Arkansas ... more. |
... a collaborative agreement with the US EPA, CTIC will provide leadership and technical support to successfully plan, organize, coordinate, evaluate and share information from five workshops held between 2015 and 2020.
These workshops will provide attendees the foundation to target, design, and implement conservation practices for their clients. Practices covered will include in-field nutrient management, drainage water management systems, bioreactors, saturated buffers and more. CTIC will host specific practice summaries and other materials that will help this project’s target audience.
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A Review of BMPs for Managing Crop Nutrients and Conservation Tillage to Improve Water Quality
This publication will review research on nutrient management BMPs for the two nutrients of major concern, Nitrogen and Phosphorus, with an emphasis on integrating BMPs with conservation tillage.
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CTIC Gold Corporate Member, Mosaic, is the world's leading producer and marketer of comcentrated phosphate and potash, two of the primary nutrients required to grow the food the world needs. Their business engages in every phase of crop nutrition development, from the mining of resources to the production of crop nutrients, feed and industrial products for customers around the globe. Their customer base includes wholesalers, retail dealers, and individual growers in more than 40 countries.
Headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, Mosaic employs approximately 7,400 people in eight countries. Their shares t ... more. |
... Logan-Smith
During the morning session, David Dunn shared results of a three-year comparison of nitrogen stabilizer products on rice. Dunn is a supervisor at the Delta Regional Soils Testing Lab at the University of Missouri Delta Center, Portageville, Mo.
For 12 years Dunn has conducted field research to support the MU soil test recommendation system. His research emphasizes in season crop nutrient management, primarily for rice. Dunn’s study will continue to be conducted at two locations representing the two major soil types used for rice production in Missouri. At each location, rice was cultivated using the standard methods of phosphorus and potassium fertilization, water management, and weed and insect control for dry-seeded, delayed flood rice in Southeast Missouri. At b ... more. |
Apply gypsum to your fields to balance soil structure, Improve nutrient uptake, and yield heartier, healthier crops
There are thousands of agricultural products that claim to increase yields—from the latest hybrids to implements and electronic gadgetry. As a grower, you do everything it takes to maximize output with the least amount of input costs. But as input prices continue to increase, and margins become increasingly thinner, many growers are getting back to basic ... more. |
... application to fields.
How it works
Taking a representative sample from stored manure and sending it to an approved lab for analysis to determine nutrient content is the first step in a manure management system. This data is used to match application rates to plant nutrient needs and soil test data.
How it helps
Manure testing and proper application to the land can reduce crop input costs.
Preventing over-application of manure to crop fields results in improved water quality.
Planning ahead
What form of manure do you plan to apply?
Have you calibrated your spreader to apply the volume of manure called for according to plant needs and nutrient value of manure?
Have you reduced commercial fertilizer use after accounting for nutrients supplied by manure?
W ... more. |
... moisture, reduced compaction, sequestered carbon and reduced erosion from water and wind.
Cleaner water
In addition to food, fiber, energy and other renewable resources, agriculture can also protect and improve water quality.
Greater on-farm profits
Sharpening management skills and utilizing the latest appropriate technologies result in higher levels of economic efficiency and cropland productivity
A brighter future for all of us.
Consumer expectations include more than abundant food, fiber and energy. They also expect agriculture to protect air, soil, water and wildlife.
What do farmers need to do?
Core 4 Conservation farmers all strive toward these goals and will achieve the results in the best way possible for their particular land and management abilitie ... more. |
No Tillage: The relationship between no tillage, crop residues, plants and soil nutrition
Expands the breadth and depth of knowledge of the no-till system offers new ideas to those who are ready to move into the next level of conservation tillage systems. To order online, click here.
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Join us for a free field day on Wednesday, August 21, right after Dakotafest!
Edinger Family Farm
25287 397thAve.
Mt. Vernon, SD 57363
4 - 8 p.m.
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... CTIC and TNC have been in conversation with a number of other organizations interested in partnering on the creation of the Conservation Validation Network (CVN), which we envision as a valuable set of anonymized ground-truthing data available to support advances in remote sensing methodologies being used to track adoption of regenerative conservation practices like reduced tillage and winter cover crops.
With seed funding made available by TNC Indiana and Corteva, CTIC led a CVN Indiana Pilot. Phase I of the Pilot had three deliverables, the first of which was to host the CVN Kickoff Workshop (hybrid in-person/virtual) on Wednesday, August 25, 2021at the Purdue Research Park, next door to our West Lafayette headquarters. Approximately 40 individuals participated, with morning pres ... more. |
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... Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth at a special tour rate for July 10 & 11. The registration web page includes a link for online booking of rooms at the discount rate.
On June 9 at 1:00 pm Eastern, CTIC invites you to join us for "Scaling Up Conservation Agriculture: An Exploration of Challenges and Opportunities in Michigan."
This 75-minute interactive webinar will cover the stakeholder driven work assessing the barriers and opportunities to advancing conservation agriculture across Michigan, along with program and policy recommendations. The speakers represent a diverse project team in Michigan that has been working since 2017 to address policy, economic, and structural barriers that are inhibiting broader adoption of conservation agriculture in the state.
&n ... more. |
... Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University. The Heidelberg team will use those details to calculate the effect of each farmer's conservation practices on dissolved reactive phosphorus loading in the watershed. Farmers will be paid according to the amount of DRP their conservation practices retained on their land.
For our inaugural year, we chose to focus on cover cropping and no-till. We also encourage farmers to apply the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship—the right source, right rate, right time and right place—which can also significantly reduce the off-target movement of phosphorus and other nutrients.
CTIC is accepting wait list applications for future years of the PLUS-UP program. Click here to learn more or sign up.
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... CTIC’s 40th anniversary. That’s right, 40 years.
Looking back on our previous 40 years through conversations with members and long-time supporters, CTIC has long been at the center of prominent discussions around the most important conservation topics. Over the years, we have worked on many important conservation issues – tillage, soil health, water quality, nutrient loads, cover crops, carbon sequestration, and much, much more. Looking forward to the future, there is one overarching theme that unites where we’ve been with where we are going, and that is climate.
Climate informs what is possible and what we need to do as an organization whose mission is to champion and provide information on sustainable ag systems that are productive and profitable, bot ... more. |
... on all social media
Recognition on all tour outreach/news releases
Logo on website sponsor page
Notebook
Logo on front cover
Welcome letter and logo on inside page
Ad in notebook
Logo on sponsor page
Recognition on Signage
... more. |
... new metric.
Supporting Supply Chain Sustainability
CTIC recently began a new phase of a project funded by Iowa's Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In cooperation with Practical Farmers of Iowa and The Nature Conservancy, CTIC is leading the development of a program that will train and incentivize retail agronomists to become advocates for conservation systems built around cover cropping. The project areas have been selected to leverage ongoing, privately funded supply chain sustainability initiatives.
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... of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) have signed on as a Diamond-level sponsors of the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Conservation in Action Tour. The tour, which will be held August 20 and 21 in Des Moines, Iowa, is CTIC's 12th annual program of its type.
The tour will include a wide range of practices, from prairie strips to bioreactors, interseeded cover crops, stover harvesting, drainage water management techniques, and precision application of fertilizer. The tour also includes lunch at New Century FS and dinner and a keynote speaker at Jester Park Lodge in Granger, Iowa.
Bayer, Mosaic and Syngenta have sponsored previous Conservation in Action Tours. The Conservation Infrastructure Initiative signed on this year specifically to ex ... more. |
... Installation Site
Among the highlights of the tour on August 21 will be a visit to an in-progress, on-farm installation of a wood chip bioreactor near Nevada, Iowa. With insight from Keegan Kult of the Ag Drainage Management Coalition and Sean McMahon of the Iowa Agricultural Water Alliance, the stop is sure to uncover deep insight into these ingenious nitrogen-capturing systems.
Later in the day-long tour, the group will visit the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association (LICA) Farm near Melbourne, Iowa. The 80-acre field is a demonstration site for every constructed conservation practice cited in Iowa's Nutrient Reduction Strate ... more. |
Bayer CropScience, The Mosaic Company, Syngenta and the Conservation Infrastructure Initiative co-led by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) and the Iowa Association of Water Agencies (IAWA) have signed on as a Diamond-level sponsors of the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Conservation in Action Tour. The tour, which will be held August 20 and 21 in Des Moines, I ... more. |
... on as a Diamond-level sponsors of the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Conservation in Action Tour. The tour, which will be held August 20 and 21 in Des Moines, Iowa, is CTIC's 12th annual program of its type.
The tour will include a wide range of practices, from prairie strips to bioreactors, interseeded cover crops, stover harvesting, drainage water management techniques, and precision application of fertilizer. The tour also includes lunch at New Century FS and dinner and a keynote speaker at Jester Park Lodge in Granger, Iowa.
Bayer, Mosaic and Syngenta have sponsored previous Conservation in Action Tours. The joint IDALS-IAWA ini ... more. |
... what participants are saying about the most valuable part of the Tour...
“Today’s tour has been the highlight of my professional training for this year!
I not only gained very useful CEU’s in Soil and Water Management…I got to network with people I have not be introduced to before….this was a great experience.”
"We utilize cover crops on our farm knowing how important they are. I learned so much more today and look forward to putting it into practice. THANK YOU!"
"I thought this year’s tour was focused much more on solutions than merely on practices and that was GREAT!"
"Meeting new friends in our business and seeing beautiful parts of the country. Great to see people o ... more. |
CTIC asks interested applicants to submit a cover letter, resume and references for review. Emails with attached files can be sent to CTIC by using the link below.
All application submittalsare due to CTIC no later than 5:00pm EST on Friday, March 1, 2019.
Email CTIC
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... share information on conservation farming systems. In short, we Connect, Inform and Champion to encourage the adoption of practices that protect soil, water and air quality as well as farmers’ economic sustainability.
There has never been a better time to join CTIC. We’ve got great programs in the field and a clearinghouse full of information on everything from selecting the right cover crops to organizing watershed-wide conservation projects.
In addition to the information below, a membership application is now available online at https://www.ctic.org/Membership/Join
Here you will be able to pay your membership dues online with a credit card (available for memberships up to $2,000) request an invoice, or provide us with special billing instructions.
You can find out ev ... more. |
Corn and Soybean Digest, June 2018
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Corn and Soybean Digest, August 2018
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The global population is estimated to exceed 9 billion people by 2050, placing unprecedented pressure on American farmers to grow even more of the crops that clothe, fuel and feed the world. One way to help alleviate this pressure is to significantly improvesoil healthon cropland.
By adopting practices like planting winter cover crops and reducing—or better yet eliminating—tillage practices, farmers can significantly improve productivity of their fields, reduce soil erosion, improve water quality and increase carbon storage. In fact, agricultural soils are among the planet's largest reservoirs (orsinks) of carbon. Improving soil on American croplands has the potential to mitigate 25 million metric t ... more. |
Indiana Pilot Study
Ten years of tillage-transect data collected by the State of Indiana were used to verify the ability of OpTIS algorithms to automatically process publicly-available remote sensing data, in order to accurately characterize tillage practices and the presence of winter cover crops.
View Resource
Next Step
Building on the success of the Indiana Pilot, CTIC is now again partnering with AGS to apply OpTIS across the entire US Corn Belt (Phase 1). Phase 2 will involve application of OpTIS to all US agricultural regions.
View Resource
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CONNECT
CTIC brings people together. We build coalitions. We connect farmers, researchers, policymakers, agribusiness, and lead discussions that move conversations ahead.
INFORM
CTIC is a clearinghouse for convservation information, from Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) regional trend data to how to implement practices on your farm.
CHAM ... more. |
The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) has been developed by Applied GeoSolutions (AGS) and the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) as a method for the automated use of remote sensing (satellite-based) data to monitor conservation practices in agricultural systems, including various forms of reduced tillage and the planting of winter cover crops. While the OpTIS calculations are performed and validated at the farm-field scale, the privacy of individual producers is fully protected by distributing only spatially-aggregated results – at the county and watershed (8-digit HUC) scale.
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CTIC recently began a new phase of a project funded by Iowa’s Department of Ag and Land Stewardship. In collaboration with Practical Farmers of Iowa and The Nature Conservancy, CTIC is leading development of a program that will train and incentivize retail agronomists to become advocates for conservation systems build around cover cropping. Rollout of the program is anticipated in the winter of 2019 and the project’s target area has been selected to leverage ongoing privately-funded supply chain sustainability initiatives.
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Ten years of tillage-transect data collected by the State of Indiana were used to verify the ability of OpTIS algorithms to automatically process publicly-available remote sensing data, in order to accurately characterize tillage practices and the presence of winter cover crops.
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Farmers in Washington’s Whatcom County are engaged in a wide range of water quality improvement projects. TMDLs (total maximum daily loads) in local waterways cover fecal coliform, ammonia-nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand, chlorine and temperature.
The presence of commercial shellfish beds not far from the mouth of the Nooksack River puts added pressure on farmers and shellfish harvesters to work together on water quality improvements.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) program found that 45% of ... more. |
... their insight and BMPs.
• We hosted a hypoxia panel for leading farm journalists at the Agricultural Media Summit.
• Our Indian Creek Watershed Project yielded a highly successful tour and three great presentations at the 2014 International Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference.
• We kicked off our 2.5-year Economic, Agronomic and Environmental Benefits of Cover Crops CIG project.
• Our 7th annual Conservation in Action Tour brought more than 150 conservation-minded participants to Florida for a look at cutting edge stormwater treatment, nutrient management and wildlife enhancement projects.
We even got cited on Capitol Hill by none other than U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and NRCS Chief Jason Weller. Thanks to our dedicated ... more. |
CTIC partner Illinois Soybean Association publishes occasional e-news about a wide range of farm sustainability topics. The updates cover successes and challenges farmers face serving society, protecting the environment and supporting the economy. Please click here to subscribe.
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Agricultural conservation systems produce good yields and strong profits while responsibly managing environmental resources. These systems efficiently manage nutrients and pests, control irrigation and drainage water flows, use cover crops, rotate crops to maximize conservation benefits and
minimize equipment wear. See CTIC's conservation systems information sheet HERE.
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AgDay featured CTIC in a story as part of its ongoing "Future of Farming" series. Tyne Morgan, national reporter, visited the CTIC office in early March to interview Karen Scanlon, CTIC executive director. The story aired Wednesday, March 21.
Karen and Upstream Hero Larry Bonnell, interviewed on his farm in Michigan, discussed conservation successes, cover crops and water quality in the broadcast.
The AgDay report also promoted CTIC's Conservation In Action Tour 2012 in the Mississippi Delta this year.
To view the broadcast, click here, or for a written summary click here.
CTIC thanks AgDay and Tyne Morgan for great promotion of conservation and the Conservation In Action Tour.
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...
reduce sediment and nutrient runoff. Consider food, water and herd size.
How it works
Pasture is divided into two or more pastures or paddocks with fencing.
Cattle are moved from paddock to paddock on a pre-arranged schedule based on forage availability and livestock nutrition needs.
How it helps
Improves vegetative cover, reducing erosion and improving water quality.
Increases harvest efficiency and helps ensure adequate forage throughout the grazing season.
Increases forage quality and production which helps increase feed efficiency and can improve profits.
Rotating also evenly distributes manure nutrient resources.
Planning ahead
Is there enough water of good quality available in all pastures to m ... more. |
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... providing for maximum interaction between agriculture professionals ranging from producers to industry experts. No-Till 2011 is a conference designed to bring the latest developments in no-till cropping systems to interested farmers and ranchers from Oklahoma and surrounding states.
For more details, view the conference brochure.
Below is an outline of topics to be covered at this year's No-Till Conference:
Soil Fertility
Cover Crops
No-Till Cotton Production
Intensifying the Rotation with Double-Crops
On-Farm Research Session
Weed Management
Corn and Soybean Production
No-Till Wheat Grazing Systems
Weed Science 101
Soils 101
Intensified Management with Grid Soil Sampling and/or Management Zo ... more. |
... participants are saying about the most valuable part of the Tour...
“Today’s tour has been the highlight of my professional training for this year!
I not only gained very useful CEU’s in Soil and Water Management…I got to network with people I have not be introduced to before….this was a great experience.”
"We utilize cover crops on our farm knowing how important they are. I learned so much more today and look forward to putting it into practice. THANK YOU!"
"I thought this year’s tour was focused much more on solutions than merely on practices and that was GREAT!"
"Meeting new friends in our business and seeing beautiful parts of the country. G ... more. |
Conservation Tillage Types - over 30% cover after planting..more
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... there an adequate water supply?
Is there adequate upland wildlife habitat available?
What wildlife do you want to attract?
Will plugging drains or breaking tile lines to enhance the wetland have
adverse effects on other parts of your farm, or a neighboring farm?
Tech notes
Remove trees and brush from embankments and the vegetative spillway area.
Protective vegetative cover should be established on exposed surfaces of
embankments and spillways.
Obtain any necessary permits.
Keep livestock from the area, unless it is included in a planned grazing
management plan.
Dikes and levees should meet NRCS or US Army Corps of Engineers
standards.
Maintenance
You may need to replant some wetland vegetation until a good stand is
established.
Keep burrowi ... more. |
... all trees and shrubs within at least 30 feet of the dam's spillway and embankment. *
Generally for every surface acre of pond there should be at least 10 acres of drainage area. *
Too large a drainage area for the pond site may make the site unfeasible.
Maintenance
Keep outlet free of debris.
Keep burrowing animals, trees and shrubs off the dam.
Maintain grass cover on the dam.
* Criteria may need to be adjusted for local conditions.
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Conservation Tillage Systems and Management Handbook
The 29 chapters not only cover a broad range of topics, but the authors represent all regions of the United States. The right book for those with a basic understanding of conservation tillage who want to expand their technical knowledge.
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... 99 percent and more than five tons of salts and nitrates are kept out of the Santa Ana River watershed. Meanwhile, solids separated from the processed manure—135 tons per day—are sold as organic fertilizer.
It’s a shining example of the capabilities of a community system, but it’s hardly a get-rich-quick scheme. “As a public utility, we’re just trying to cover our costs,” says Rich Atwater, IEUA’s CEO and general manager. “The renewable energy value generates a couple of million dollars a year in income, so at least it’s a break-even proposition. It covers operations and maintenance and our return on capital investment in the project.”
Still, Atwater’s team is working on optimizing its digester technology as it ... more. |
... Association of Conservation Districts
Kellis Moss- Treasurer
Ducks Unlimited, Inc.
Mark Schmidt- Past Chair
North Carolina State University
Hunter Carpenter
Agricultural Retailers Association
Patricia Rice
BASF
Brooks Coetzee
Corteva Agriscience
Katie Stump
CropLife America
AJ Kumar
Indigo Agriculture, Inc.
Luther Smith
International Certified Crop Advisers Program
Tim Palmer
National Association of Conservation Districts
Rachel Orf
National Corn Growers Association
Martie Templeton
Nutrien
Heidi Peterson
Sand County Foundation
Mary Sutton Carruthe ... more. |
... with Farm Journal and served in a number of leadership capacities with Ducks Unlimited, as well as director of agriculture for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. As representative of CTIC, Heiniger will serve on the board of directors of Field to Market.
Formed in 1982, CTIC brings together farmers, crop advisors, researchers, policy makers, regulators, agribusiness leaders, conservation group staffers and other stakeholders to share information on farming practices that can help farmers become more economically and environmentally sustainable. The Center's staff develops demonstration projects, convenes and facilitates meetings, disseminates research findings, runs market-based nutrient cred ... more. |
... "Conservation farming remains a dynamic, exciting, hot-button topicwith a significant societal impact within the farm community and well beyond it. Like CTIC,conservationhas grown to encompass the latest science around carbon capture, soil health, remote sensing,andmore."
The Conservation Technology Information Center brings together farmers, crop advisers, policymakers, agribusiness leaders, conservation personnel, researchers and othersinterested in systems that help make farmers more economically and environmentally sustainable. Current projectsinclude:
•The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which uses satellite imagery and a specialalgorithmto documentthe adoption of soil-buildi ... more. |
... "Conservation farming remains a dynamic, exciting, hot-button topicwith a significant societal impact within the farm community and well beyond it. Like CTIC,conservationhas grown to encompass the latest science around carbon capture, soil health, remote sensing,andmore."
The Conservation Technology Information Center brings together farmers, crop advisers, policymakers, agribusiness leaders, conservation personnel, researchers and othersinterested in systems that help make farmers more economically and environmentally sustainable. Current projectsinclude:
•The Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), which uses satellite imagery and a specialalgorithmto documentthe adoption of soil-buildi ... more. |
... September 13th, will be spent in the field visiting a demonstration farm dedicated to conservation systems and at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to learn about advances in agricultural technology that will help farmers face future challenges, including climate change.
"Our Conservation in Action Tour series has become a highly anticipated opportunity for farmers, crop advisers, policy makers, conservation professionals, agribusiness people and many others to see conservation farming practices up-close," Komp notes. "But over the past 15 years, it's become more than a tour—it's an opportunity to bring together people who might not always get to interact, all drawn by our mutual interest in helping farmers become more economically and env ... more. |
... the Soil Science Society of America
TheSoil Science Society of America (SSSA)is a progressive, international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. It provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.
About the Soil and Water Conservation Society
The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation.
About the U.S ... more. |
... the Soil Science Society of America
TheSoil Science Society of America (SSSA)is a progressive, international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. It provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.
About the Soil and Water Conservation Society
The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) is the premier international organization for professionals who practice and advance the science and art of natural resource conservation.
About the U.S ... more. |
... agriculture systems in central Iowa—to Friday, August 2. The special tour room block rate at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Des Moines has also been extended until 4:00 pm CST on Monday, July 29.
"We are still seeing strong interest in the tour and can open another bus to accommodate interested farmers, crop consultants, conservation professionals, policy makers, agribusiness people, researchers and others who want to see conservation systems in real-world situations," says Mike Komp, executive director of CTIC.
"The opening talk by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and the lunch speech by State Conservationist K ... more. |
CTIC welcomed participants from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, South Dakota, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. And more than 15 agribusinesses shared their knowledge, expertise and product information.
Rex Martin, CTIC board chair and Syngenta Crop Protection head of industry affairs, shares his thoughts. “This tour really shows the value of CTIC – bringing together a diverse group of people to learn about, talk about and explore new opportunities for conservation in agriculture. Excellent farms, important dialogue and a great mix of public and private sector perspectives make this tour something special.” Participants app ... more. |
... year!
~Bertrhude Albert, University of Florida doctoral student in agricultural education and communication
Tour Wrap-up from CTIC:
Let our tour mascots guide you through all the action in Florida with a tour of the tour.
You can also read our in-depth look at the topics, sights and scenes of the 2014 tour.
Media Coverage:
Here are some of the stories about the tour from the media:
Several stories on AgWired
See the Action:
Check out the 2014 tour photo gallery to explore what the tour had to offer.
Through our tour videos below, see:
Sugarcane harvesting
Sugarcane planting
Barn owls
... more. |
CTIC, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, hosted a half-day training for Iowa ag consultants at the Iowa Agribusiness Showcase and Conference in Des Moines on February 13, 2019.
The training drew more than 60 attendees, and covered a wide range of conservation systems geared toward Iowa farms.
"This ag consultant training and others like it that we are running around the country are designed to help ag consultants guide their farmers toward practices that can help them achieve economic and environmental goals," says project manager Mike Smith of CTIC. "We don't expect every ag consultant to ... more. |
... crop trials involving multiple rates of any added nutrient. It provides the an estimate of optimum rate for a single-year response - the most economic rate (MERN) at which it is profitable to apply a purchased nutrient - from limited data. It can also estimate several basic forms of nutrient use efficiency (NUE): partial factor productivity, agronomic efficiency, partial nutrient balance, and recovery efficiency. Source: International Plant Nutrition Institute.
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Agrium designed ESN®, a polymer coated urea, to slow the release of nitrogen into the environment. This is allows the plant to access nitrogen when it needs it the most.
ESN® yielded the highest in all of the trials. The maximum economic rate of nitrogen (MERN) was also higher probably due to ESN®’s ability to slowly release nitrogen to the crop and continue providing yield-increasing nitrogen throughout the growing season.
Take Home Lessons:
ESN® showed higher yield over spring urea.
MERN rate was higher with ESN® than urea.
Using ESN® in combination with other nitrogen sources or as split application may yield even more.
Resource:
Harms Corn After Soybeans NUE Timing.
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... supporting the organization as interim executive director. Helping guide the day-to-day operations of the office as well as the strategic direction of the organization, Dave and the board have provided steady leadership as CTIC positions itself for even greater impact.
With a PhD in chemical engineering and three decades of experience as an environmental scientist in the crop protection industry - including tenure at Monsanto, which he represented on CTIC's board - Dave has also served on variousgovernmental and civil society efforts focused on conservation and sustainability issues. His current independent research focuses on using modeling to help food systems meet human nutrition needs in more sustainable ways.
Dave Gustaf ... more. |
... Area farmers have become experts in managing nutrients at every level, from applying manure and commercial fertilizer to minimizing runoff from their fields.
In addition to perspectives on innovative practices from a range of crop, dairy and poultry producers, Conservation in Action Tour participants heard from Hoopers Island Oyster Company co-founder Johnny Shockley and Oyster Recovery Partnership fisheries scientist Julie Reichert-Nguyen. The shellfish experts described not only how agricultural practices impact oyster fisheries in the Bay, but also how oysters play a role in reducing nutrient levels in the system and could be managed in conjunction with other water-protecting BMPs. Agricultural advisor Kelly Shenk of U.S. EPA tied together the broad spectrum of stakeholders ... more. |
... agronomists, certified crop advisors (CCAs) and individual farmers to advise and advocate for the adoption of critical conservation systems identified in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
The first four years of the project, which included agronomic consultation and cost-share funding for farmers, helped producers in six critical watersheds plant nearly 40,000 acres of cover crops. A three-year extension funded by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) allows the effort to now shift to building capacity among trusted crop advisors in the Skunk River watershed.
Technical assistance is key to success with cover crops, notes CTIC project director Mike Smith.
"Those relationships will be enhanced by a tr ... more. |
Agrium designed ESN®, a polymer coated urea, to slow the release of nitrogen into the environment. This is allows the plant to access nitrogen when it needs it the most.
ESN® yielded the highest in all of the trials. The maximum economic rate of nitrogen (MERN) was also higher probably due to ESN®’s ability to slowly release nitrogen to the crop and continue providing yield-increasing nitrogen throughout the growing season.
Take Home Lessons:
ESN® showed higher yield over spring urea.
MERN rate was higher with ESN® than urea.
Using ESN® in combination with other nitrogen sources or as split application may yield even more.
Resource:
Harms Corn After Soybeans NUE Timing.
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... project's website, http://www.upstreamheroes.org, includes information on all three initiatives, as well as CTIC's Upstream Heroes campaign, sponsored by The Nature Conservancy and Terra Industries.
Project Participants
Local, state, and federal conservation and agriculturalagencies, farm organizations, agribusiness, agricultural producers, certified crop consultants
Activites
CTIC and a broad coalition of ag interests in the Missouri Bootheel bring workshops and field days on the latest nutrient management tools to ag producers. Programs include a corn stalk testing program free to producers.
Partners in Minnesota reached consensus that the best approach would be to form a broad coalition of interested groups. The diverse coalit ... more. |
Click here to view current copies (or old ones) or subscribe to receive the newsletter weekly during the cropping season (see subscribe tab). The newsletter is also a valuable newsletter for Board members and producers.
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Most Indiana soils require periodic applications of limestone or other liming materials for optimum crop production.
Soil Acidity and Liming of Indiana Soils
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Join CTIC and GYPSOIL for a major symposium on soil quality presented by research scientists, producers and crop consultants. The event will be held at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio, on March 7, 2013.
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Registration has opened for the 2013 Conservation In Action Tour! Join us on July 9 and 10 in Livingston, Ill., as we explore innovative conservation practices in and around the Indian Creek watershed. Celebrating the theme of Community 4 Conservation, this year's tour will bring together agriculture leaders from all over the country – including farmers, crop advisors, regulators and lawmakers – to learn and share conservation practices.
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The New Leader line of crop nutrient applicators from Highway Equipment Company is an integral part of fertilizer handling - vital for improving water quality and farm sustainability in the Mississippi River Basin. "Right place" is one of the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship, and New Leader equipment is proud of its role in promoting and enabling that key tactic. |
Monsanto works with farmers from around the world to make agriculture more productive and sustainable. We've strengthened our goal of doubling crop yields by committing to doing it with one-third fewer resources such as land, water and energy per unit produced. We're working with our partners to develop conservation systems that are better for the plant. |
... to economically achieve water quality improvements. It has the potential to bea flexible and cost-effective approach for maintaining, restoring or enhancing water quality.
Funded By
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Innovation Grant
Project Partners
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Environmental Trading Network, International Certified Crop Advisers, Water Environment Federation
Activities
Water quality credit trading may be asuccessful, market-basedmethod for agriculture producers to be paid for contributing to water quality improvement.However, many potential participants lack awareness and understandingof thetrading process.
CTIC worked with partners to develo ... more. |
Select the Right Time for nitrogen application. Apply the Right Rate of fertilizer to meet crop needs. |
The Illinois Corn Marketing Board is deeply committed to improving nutrient efficiency through the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship - right source, right rate, right time, right place - and through participation in Keep It For The Crop By 2025, a collaborative program to promote, implement and track the rate of adoption of enhanced nutrient stewardship practices by Illinois agricultural producers. |
A soil test of the field showed a relatively low phosphorus level, so we demonstrated The Mosaic Company's MicroEssentials applied as a side-dress (plant nutrients placed on or in the soil near the roots of a growing crop to provide an additional boost in available phosphorus) in a corn after corn no-tilled field.
The Mosaic Company designed MicroEssentials ® to allow uniform nutrient distribution and provide essential nutrients crops need in one granule, with two forms of sulfur for season-long nutrition.
The MicroEssentials
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Member Spotlight
CORPORATE
CTIC recognizes Gold Corporate Member, Syngenta, in our member spotlight. They are a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2006 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs around 19,500 people in over 90 countries.
INSTITUTIONAL
CropLife America, Gold Institutional Member, is the national trade organization represen ... more. |
Manure Management Planner (MMP) is a Windows-based computer program developed at Purdue University that is used to create manure management plans for crop and animal feeding operations. The user enters information about the operation's fields, crops, storage, animals, and application equipment. MMP helps the user allocate manure (where, when and how much) on a monthly basis for the length of the plan. Purdue's MMP currently supports 34 states. more
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CTIC Institutional Member, the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), is a prominent international scientific society headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Because of their common interests, ASA, the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), and the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) share a close working relationship as well as the same headquarters office. Each of the three Societies is autonomous, has its own bylaws, and is governed by its own Board of Directors. Society members are dedicated to the conservation and wise use of natural resources to produce food, feed, and fiber cr ... more. |
CTIC Gold Corporate Member, Syngenta, is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2006 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs around 19,500 people in over 90 countries. To learn more about Syngenta, visit www.syngenta.com
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CTIC welcomed participants from Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Ontario, South Dakota, Washington D.C., and Wisconsin. And more than 15 agribusinesses shared their knowledge, expertise and product information.
Rex Martin, CTIC board chair and Syngenta Crop Protection head of industry affairs, shares his thoughts. “This tour really shows the value of CTIC – bringing together a diverse group of people to learn about, talk about and explore new opportunities for conservation in agriculture. Excellent farms, important dialogue and a great mix of public and private sector perspectives make this tour something special.” Participants app ... more. |
... of which Schafer also serves as president. The ADMC serves as a resource of the latest technologies in drainage water management systems and assists agricultural and environmental communities in improving water quality.
In an attempt to help producers adopt better drainage water management (DWM), ADMC was awarded a three-year, multi-state, USDA/NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant in 2006. Covering Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, this project’s goal was to improve and refine regional recommendations necessary to encourage the widespread adoption of DWM and maximize the agronomical and environmental benefits provided by the practice, Schafer says.
Through implementation of the project, significant data was documented on nutrient savings from DWM, which could be i ... more. |
By facilitating the switch to conservation tillage, biotech crops have helped dramatically reduce soil erosion and water pollution, increase carbon sequestration, and lower the use of crop protection chemicals by millions of pounds per year.
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... of which Schafer also serves as president. The ADMC serves as a resource of the latest technologies in drainage water management systems and assists agricultural and environmental communities in improving water quality.
In an attempt to help producers adopt better drainage water management (DWM), ADMC was awarded a three-year, multi-state, USDA/NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant in 2006. Covering Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, this project’s goal was to improve and refine regional recommendations necessary to encourage the widespread adoption of DWM and maximize the agronomical and environmental benefits provided by the practice, Schafer says.
Through implementation of the project, significant data was documented on nutrient savings from DWM, which could be imp ... more. |
Who: Wye Mills, MD
What: March 4-5, 2009
Where: Chesapeake College
Together with its partners, Environmental Trading Network, the International Certified Crop Advisers, the Water Environment Federation, and the Maryland Departments of Agriculture and the Environment, the Conservation Technology Information Center hosted this interactive event as part of Maryland’s public outreach on its newly developed nonpoint-source trading program.
Water quality trading is a market-based approach to improve water quality. It is an innovative, voluntary ... more. |
Farming with row patterns nearly level around the hill—not up and down hill.
How it works
Crop row ridges built by tilling and/or planting on the contour create hundreds of small dams. These ridges or dams slow water flow and increase infiltration which reduces erosion.
How it helps
Contouring can reduce soil erosion by as much as 50% from up and down hill farming. *
By reducing sediment and runoff, and increasing water infiltration, contouring promotes better water quality.
... more. |
... task force is made up of representatives from conservation districts, academia, federal agencies and related industry. They began by studying how the weeds developed a resistance to herbicides.Next, they began determining the impacts of herbicide resistance on soil and water conservation and assessing the potential impact on conservation tillage practices, especially no till crop production.
Herbicide resistance is a good example of survival of the fittest. Producers essentially selected for weeds that were naturally resistant or showed some tolerance for the chemical. When producers allowed “stray” weeds to grow in the fields after chemical treatment, the resistant weeds were allowed to go to seed and thus produced the next generation of res ... more. |
... Credit Trading Workshop
August 19 - 20, 2008
Troy-Hayner Cultural Center
Troy, Ohio
Water Quality Credit Trading programs bring together agriculture and the wastewater community to solve difficult water quality issues.The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), in conjunction with the Environmental Trading Network (ETN), the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and Certified Crop Advisers, is hosting a two-day water quality credit trading workshop. This will be a detailed, intensive training program on water quality trading for agricultural operators, ag advisors, potential water quality trading aggregators and municipal wastewater facilities. Expert speakers will introduce the concepts, benefits and challenges of trading and the steps involved in developing a trading pro ... more. |
... Research, First Vice Chair; Charlie Schafer, Agri Drain Corporation, Second Vice Chair; Rex Martin, Syngenta America, Treasurer; Karen Scanlon, CTIC, Secretary; Chris Foster, John Deere, Past Chair. Serving as 2010-2011 directors: Neil E. Caskey, Osborn & Barr Communications; Larry Clemens, The Nature Conservancy; Dave Gustafson, Monsanto; Bill Herz, The Fertilizer Institute; Bill Kuckuck, CropLife America; Ron Olson, The Mosaic Company; Jerry Snodgrass, National Association of Conservation Districts; Rod Snyder, National Corn Growers Association; John Redding, National Association of Conservation Districts; and Stephen Timmons, Case IH.
Make plans to attend the CTIC Conservation In Action Tour 2010
Mark your calendar for the CTIC Conservation In Action Tour 201 ... more. |
... Schroeder.
He says he has even talked prospective landlords into retiring highly erodible, damaged cropland into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that he could have farmed as a tenant. “There is no reason to farm the land if it’s in such poor condition that you can’t make money,” he said. Schroeder has a handful of CRP contracts of his own, including one that covers approximately 60 acres near his home.
To learn more about ways to protect your land from erosion and sediment runoff or to prepare a complete conservation plan for your farm, contact your local USDA-NRCS office.
About the Writer: Jason Johnson is a Public Affairs Specialist for USDA-NRCS in Iowa.
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Evaluating and using a tailored pest management system to reduce crop and environmental damages. Scouting is done to identify insects, weeds and diseases.
How it works
Crops are scouted to determine type of pests—insects, weeds and diseases—and the
stage of development. The pot ... more. |
When: July 8 - 9, 2009
Where: Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center
2650 Lodge Road
Sherrodsville, OH 44675
888-819-8042
**To make reservations - call and reference the Water Quality Workshop to receive the group rate of $89 per night.
To view the Agenda, click here.
Together with its partners, Environmental Trading Network, the International Certified Crop Advisers, and the Water Environment Federation, the Conservation Technology Information Center will host a Water Quality Credit Trading Workshop at Atwood Lake Resort and Conference Center (30 miles south of Canton, OH) on July 8 and 9, 2009.
Water quality trading is a market-based approach to improve water quality. It is an innovative, voluntary tool that connects industrial and municipal f ... more. |
... a pilot site for ISS, has entered the process and hopes to receive a permit soon.
Other components of the process, both liquid and solid, are considered manure by regulators, he notes, and must be stored according to state and federal regulations.
When it comes to applying the by-products to fields, says Vrieze, “we'll work with the farm's crop consultant to make sure that the nutrients you're partitioning are going in the right directions and that the applications fit into your nutrient management plan.”
Ultra-filtration uses super-fine membranes to remove suspended particles - which contain nearly all of the P and about half of the N in manure - and creates "tea water" that dairy pr ... more. |
Innovative Cropping Systems Incentive Program (ICS)
Established 1996
ICS is a cooperative program that strives to furnish incentives that advance cropping management systems that offer efficiencies in crop production and enhance pollution reduction performance. ICS adoption incentives include outreach, technical transfer, education, demonstration, research, cooperation, development, partnerships and finan ... more. |
... In addition to these information development and dissemination goals, we have also been pursuing means and opportunities for increasing the adoption of CT in California.
This workgroup directly addresses the following DANR program priorities:
1) Issue 1. Productivity and Efficiency of Agriculture. Actions 1, 2 and 3 by evaluating and developing comprehensive management systems for crop health and soil quality, and for potentially increasing the water use efficiency of a variety of cropping systems throughout the state by the use of reduced tillage practices.
2) Issue 3. Environmental Quality and Resource Conservation. Actions 1, 5 and 6 by evaluating and developing production systems that may improve input use efficiencies, conserve soil quality and reduce health and envir ... more. |
... algal blooms, through enhanced surveillance and reporting, increased education and outreach, and interagency collaboration with a variety of stakeholders. Dr. Peters received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Michigan State University in 2006 and her Master in Public Health from the University of Minnesota in 2013.
Video Length - 12:19
National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS): Findings and Applications on Algal Toxins and Pathogens
Sarah Lehmann
Speaker Bio
Sarah Lehmann serves as Team Leader for the National Aquatic Resource Surveys in U.S. EPA’s Monitoring Branch. In this role, she provides leadership for each of the national surveys including lakes, rivers and streams, coastal waters, and wetlands. Prior to this, Sarah worked in EPA’s ... more. |
... Lakes, and Energy. Dr. Briggs administers grant funds to local health departments to support beach monitoring and source tracking at 400 regularly monitored beaches. Dr. Briggs is also a member of the Great Lakes Beach Association that has annual meetings and a beachnet list serv. Significant improvements for monitoring beaches have been adopted in Michigan, including the use of beach sanitary surveys and a lab network of 15 labs with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) instruments to monitor for E. coli and other genetic markers to identify hosts of fecal contamination. Recently, the lab network grew to 18 labs that received a digital droplet instruments and were trained to monitor 3 gene targets for a wastewater surveillance pilot project. Dr. Briggs continues to work with many pa ... more. |
... CTIC's 12th annual Conservation In Action Tour. If you haven't already, please respond to this quick evaluation. We really do use your responses to improve future events. You can reach us with any questions or feedback that don't fit the evaluation form at ctic@ctic.org or 765-494-9555.
2019 Conservation In Action Tour evaluation
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VPK7G5X
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CTIC has worked closely with U.S. EPA's Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds (OWOW) to organize a national, invitation-only NARS (National Aquatic Resource Surveys) meeting for 125 water quality professionals. Participants from federal, state and tribal agencies, as well as contract partners, will attend.
The NARS meeting, held in Denver March 25-29 in conjunction with the National Water Quality Monitoring Conference, will explore the direction of EPA's NARS protocols and data analysis systems. Dialogues among partners and EPA will help gu ... more. |
The National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) are collaborative programs between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states and tribes that assess the quality of the nation's inland and coastal waters, providing vital data that can help guide conservation efforts on the landscape.
CTIC works with EPA and its partners on technical training to carry out NARS assessments, and to promote conservation systems that help ... more. |
The National Aquatic Resource Surveys (NARS) Workshop was co-located witht the 10th National Monitoring Conference in Tampa, Florida.
The dedicated NARS session was held on Friday, May 6, 2016 from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm. Tony Olsen presented and it was recorded as a webinar.
View the agenda.
Download a copy of the slides. (7.5 MB).
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Links to the National Surveys
The National Aquatic Resource Surveys
The National Wetland Condition Assessment
The National Coastal Condition Assessment
The National Lakes Assessment
The National Rivers and Streams Assessment
Aquatic Resource Monitoring, EPA ORD
Aquatic Resource Monitoring, EPA ORD
This Web site provides information on monitoring of aquatic resources in the US, primarily focused on des ... more. |
... 29 pp, March 2009
In recent years, structural changes in the hog sector, including increased farm size and regional shifts in production, have altered manure management practices. Also, changes to the Clean Water Act, State regulations, and increasing local conflicts over air quality issues, including odor, have influenced manure management decisions. This study uses data from two national surveys of hog farmers to examine how hog manure management practices vary with the scale of production and how these practices evolved between 1998 and 2004. Included are the effects of structural changes, recent policies on manure management technologies and practices, the use of nutrient management plans, and manure application rates. The findings suggest that larger hog operations are altering their ... more. |
... organizations and groups. We are seeing that benefit today.
CTIC keeps us informed of opportunities to participate in grants and meetings. This organization is a conduit to share information, and through CTIC, we have the opportunity to share what we are doing with other producers and organizations.
The greatest benefits of our CTIC membership, I believe, are receiving the results of surveys conducted by CTIC, and having the opportunity to participate in work groups that are developing methods to resolve issues.
By becoming a member of CTIC, you will have the opportunity to be better informed of what is happening in agriculture and get to know other partners that can help in solving issues of mutual concern.
CTIC provides me with an opportunity to know and work with a dedi ... more. |
