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 soil o ... more. |
... RELEASE
Contact: Callie North, CTIC (north@ctic.org); (317) 450-9137 or
Steve Werblow, (steve@stevewerblow.com); (541) 951-4212 or
Rob Myers, University of Missouri (myersrob@missouri.edu); 573-882-1547 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, commun ... 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 portion of t ... 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 satellite ... 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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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. |
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 opportunities to ... more. |
Corn and Soybean Digest, June 2018
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Corn and Soybean Digest, August 2018
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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, the p ... 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 soil o ... 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 soil o ... 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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... 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 biochemical soil properties in no-till corn with different cover crops.
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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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... 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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The Economics of Cover Crops Presentation
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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 farmers w ... 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, educa ... 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, po ... more. |
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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 watersheds ( ... more. |
Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage Reduce NPS Pollution
Project Description
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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-till toge ... more. |
... include charts and maps to further enhance identification of trends and opportunities to promote the adoption of conservation practices. As with previous releases, all data are undergoing various forms of peer review and may be updated in the future.
Data Provider: Regrow| License
Explore The Data
Croplands
Remote sensing-derived, CONUS-wide cropland data for cover crops and tillage, spanning 2015-2021. The available data includesoil carbon and GHG outcomes based on application of the DNDC model.
Learn More
Data Release September 2023
Grasslands
Remote sensing-derived, CONUS-wide grassland metrics calculated from data spanning 2015–2021. The available data includesoil carbon and GHG outcomes based on application of th ... more. |
... 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 to help make the survey possible.
The anonymous survey is being conducted online from Oct. 1 through Oct. 31 and takes about 15 minutes to complete. Participants will earn a chance to receive ... 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 organic p ... 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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... Ag.
We also launched the CTIC Hall of Fame by inducting three charter members: founder and long-time board member Dick Foell, former CTIC natural resources specialist Dan Towery, and former CTIC executive director Karen Scanlon.
On September 13, we got back on the bus after three years (!) to visit the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Henry White Farm for talks on cover crops, prairie strips, pollinators and soil health. At lunch, Louis Aspey of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service filled in the group on the massive and exciting opportunities facing the agency and its partners in helping farmers adopt climate-smart agricultural practices.
A unique afternoon program of panel discussions at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center engaged guests in t ... more. |
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 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 Wisconsin, ... 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 unders ... more. |
... for a wide range 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 Syste ... 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 well as data on the crop insurance programs favored by cover crop users.
The sixth survey from CTIC, USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) progra ... 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 cash paym ... more. |
... at regional and watershed scales.
OpTIS-based data are currently available for the years 2015 through 2021. TheVersion 4.0 dataset released in September 2023 uses updated algorithms for croplands in alllower 48 states (CONUS). The data are presented in the context of a two-year crop rotation with options to review by the previous and following cash crop for both tillage and cover crops. Both the OpTIS and DNDC pages include charts and maps to further enhance identification of trends and opportunities to promote the adoption of conservation practices. As with previous releases, alldataare undergoing various forms of peer review and maybe updated in the future.
Later this month (April 2024), CTIC will be releasing a new satellite-driven tool from Regrow that ... 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 emissions ... 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
Cover Cro ... more. |
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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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 registered users.
Learn More
Data Release September 2023
Grasslands
Remote sensing-derived, CONUS-wide grazing land metrics calculated from data spanning 2015&nda ... more. |
... 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.
This new program aims to further support farmers across Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota with the knowledge and resources needed to successfully adopt cover crops. Cover crops enhance soil health, sequester carbon and reduce soil erosion and nutrient loss. CTIC's Cover Crop Coaches program will play a pivotal role in connecting farmers new to cover crops with farmer mentors in their states. This announcement builds upon the recent expansion by CTIC of three full-time soil health specialists in these same states helping deliver the Farmers for Soi ... 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 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. In fact, slightly mo ... 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 (methane ... 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 others, t ... more. |
... 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 Management Survey Data
Since 1982, CTIC's National Crop Residue Management Survey (CRM) has been the only survey in the U.S. designed to measure and track the type of tillage used by crop at the county level through direct observation of field conditions by on-the-ground experts at mile or half-mile intervals. Funding for the full national survey ended in 2004, though some ... more. |
... 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 presentati ... more. |
... new and existing cover crop users. CTIC will provide technical assistance to farmers participating in FSH in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota, and is partnering with the state soybean associations in all three states to promote the program. Registration for the FSH program is now open and farmers can enroll any time using the DTN enrollment form. CTIC's goal is to enroll 30,000 acres of cover crops in Wisconsin for the Farmers for Soil Health program.
Catie Geib is the former My Wisconsin Woods Coordinator at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, where she collaborated closely with Wisconsin landowners to foster sustainable land management practices on forested properties. Hailing from Northern California, Catie's upbringing on a multi-generational ranch instilled a profound connection to th ... more. |
The Conservation Technology Information Center
The Conservation Technology Information Center promotes, supports and provides information on conservation technologies & sustainable agricultural systems.
Read More
The Latest on Cover Crops and Residue
The Operational Tillage Information System—OpTIS—uses publicly available satellite imagery and a unique algorithm to provide insight on cover crop adoption and tillage practices. With a great visualization tool and data going back to 2005, OpTIS is a powerful resource for grabbing a snapshot of land use practices or delving into trends.
Check it out
Beco ... 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 adoption. Incentives play a key role in getting some farmers started on cover crops—49% o ... 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, Conservati ... 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 progr ... 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 Plains ... 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 Conservation Te ... 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 Conservation Te ... 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 do the ... 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 limited. Th ... 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 should ... 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 the following day in Toledo, Ohio. Watch this link for details.
With a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CTI ... more. |
... drinking water treatment and indirect ones like damage to tourism and the fishing industry.
To help drive this pilot effort to develop a procedure for understanding, incentivizing and reducing DRP in surface waters, The Bayer Carbon Program stepped up to underwrite the DRP credits. In turn, we are delivering those funds to program farmers as stimulus payments for no-till and cover crops—two practices that can significantly reduce the off-farm movement of dissolved reactive phosphorus.
PLUS-UP is driven by science. Our partners at Heidelberg University's National Center for Water Quality Research are using data from each participating farm to model the amount of DRP that is being retained on PLUS-UP fields. Based on those results, the farmers will be paid f ... more. |
... 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 (CTIC) as they review the latest OpTIS results on the adoption of cover crops across the Corn Belt and elsewhere in the US.
You can find the details here:
When: Friday, April 29th, 2022 | 12:00pm EDT
What: OpTIS: High Level Insights on Cover Crops
... more. |
... drinking water treatment and indirect ones like damage to tourism and the fishing industry.
To help drive this pilot effort to develop a procedure for understanding, incentivizing and reducing DRP in surface waters, The Bayer Carbon Program stepped up to underwrite the DRP credits. In turn, we are delivering those funds to program farmers as stimulus payments for no-till and cover crops—two practices that can significantly reduce the off-farm movement of dissolved reactive phosphorus.
PLUS-UP is driven by science. Our partners at Heidelberg University's National Center for Water Quality Research are using data from each participating farm to model the amount of DRP that is being retained on PLUS-UP fields. Based on those results, the farmers will be paid f ... 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 data w ... 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. |
... 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, both for ... 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.S. Env ... 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 percent. ... 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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... 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 all the tools at our disposal to keep people informed and engaged.
And we are always exploring the big questions around conservat ... 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 Agr ... 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 ... 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-profit Conservation Technology ... more. |
2020 Conservation In Action Tour- In Person EventPostponed
Join us virtually!
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, CTIC's 2020 Conservation in 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 o ... 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 made ... 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 Conservation Technology Informati ... more. |
PLEASE NOTE CORRECT TIME:
Online Press Conference Wednesday, August 19, 10:00 am Eastern/9:00 am Central
Insight from 1,172 farmers across the U.S. shines a light on cover cropping trends, including deep dives into "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 p ... 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 used and perceived in the field.
In fact, these survey reports have even been cited in Congressional testimony.
By participating in this year’s survey, you will be helpin ... more. |
... 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. Participants who complete the survey can enter a drawing for Visa gift cards worth up to $200.
"Since 2012, the SARE/CTIC/ASTA Cover Crop Survey has provided very important perspective into why and how farmers use cover crops—or why some don't—and has helped guide resources in research, communications and policy around cover crops," said Mike Smith, project director for CTIC. "The Cover Crop Survey has been a key tool for farmer organizations, conservation and extension service personnel, seed companies and other agribusinesses, and it has even been cited in testimony to Congress. This is a g ... more. |
... 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 management practices.
Using the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS)—which analyzes publicly available satellite imagery to track tillage and ... more. |
... else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='777px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement);
CRD Winter Cover Crops
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... 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 percent of 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. Sixty-five percent of the cover crop users reported planting mixes in 2016.
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... 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, sustainable pro ... more. |
... 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 expose t ... 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 the Con ... 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, Io ... 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 initiativ ... 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 2019 laws ... more. |
... 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 eastern Ohio to eastern Kansas and Nebraska and from the Missouri Bootheel to the Red River Valley of North Dakota, will be available in the next few weeks.
Analyzing satellite images of the landscape through software developed by Applied GeoSolutions, OpTIS automatica ... 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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... 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 to expl ... 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 out of ... 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, build so ... 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 credits ... 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 Watershed P ... 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;
Real-wor ... more. |
... 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 even mor ... more. |
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 tons of ... 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.
... 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 by 43.7 bushels, or 26.3%, and reduced soybean production by 8.1%, or 4.0 bushels per acre, based on early-season predictions from the U.S. De ... more. |
Sustainable Agriculture Resaerch and Education (SARE) program and CTIC conducted a national survey of farmers to learn more about their use of cover crops. More than 1,900 farmers completed 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. Read the full report. See the news release f ... more. |
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 percent. ... more. |
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
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... and other water quality impairments. If you know of a project or a farmer that fits this description, contact Chad Watts at watts@ctic.org.
OpTIS:
CTIC is currently working with Applied GeoSolutions, a data analytics company based out of New Hampshire, to refine and implement a remote sensing-based system that estimates crop residue amounts and determines the presence or absence of cover crops on cropland. Through this technology, called the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), CTIC will lead the next phase of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey, which CTIC operated between 1989 and 2004.
The current OpTIS project will collect crop residue and cover crops data from the U.S. Corn Belt between 2005 and 2017, filling gaps in tillage records that have widened since ... more. |
... on our website in the near future.
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 developed&nbs ... more. |
... 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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... other water quality impairments. If you know of a project or a farmer that fits this description, contact Tammy Taylor attaylor@ctic.org
OpTIS:
CTIC is currently working with Applied GeoSolutions, a data analytics company based out of New Hampshire, to refine and implement a remote sensing-based system that estimates crop residue amounts and determines the presence or absence of cover crops on cropland. Through this technology, called the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), CTIC will lead the next phase of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey, which CTIC operated between 1989 and 2004.
The current OpTIS project will collect crop residue and cover crops data from the U.S. Corn Belt between 2005 and 2017, filling gaps in tillage records that have widened since ... 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 developed&nbs ... more. |
... water quality impairments. If you know of a project or a farmer that fits this description, contact Tammy Taylor at taylor@ctic.org.
OpTIS:
CTIC is currently working with Applied GeoSolutions, a data analytics company based out of New Hampshire, to refine and implement a remote sensing-based system that estimates crop residue amounts and determines the presence or absence of cover crops on cropland. Through this technology, called the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), CTIC will lead the next phase of the Crop Residue Management (CRM) survey, which CTIC operated between 1989 and 2004.
The current OpTIS project will collect crop residue and cover crops data from the U.S. Corn Belt between 2005 and 2017, filling gaps in tillage records that have wid ... 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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... 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. Sixty-five percent of the cover crop users reported planting mixes in 2016.
|
... 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.
|
... 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.
|
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 by 43.7 bushels, or 26.3%, and reduced soybean production by 8.1%, or 4.0 bushels per acre, based on early-season predictions from the U.S. De ... more. |
Sustainable Agriculture Resaerch and Education (SARE) program and CTIC conducted a national survey of farmers to learn more about their use of cover crops. More than 1,900 farmers completed 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.
... more. |
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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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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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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CTIC celebrates International Year of Soils at 2015 Commodity Classic. Visit CTIC at Commodity Classic booth 918, where Karen Scanlon, CTIC executive director, and Chad Watts, CTIC project director, will discuss:
Our multi-state project 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 ... 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 membe ... 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 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 crop e ... more. |
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 corn.
... 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 planting t ... more. |
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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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 working in each watershed to give farmers one on one consultations to help them establish successful cover crops and learn to manag ... more. |
... 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 discussions about soluble phosphorus, its impacts to water quality, sources and solutions. Dr. Libby Dayton, soil and environmental chemi ... more. |
... 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 Zones
Dedicated Absentee Landowners Session
Soil Conservation
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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 will c ... more. |
... 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 productio ... 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. Great t ... more. |
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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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, and ... 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 (grains) can ... 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,” said ... 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 Technolo ... 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 Steps:
... 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 proper management won’t inhibit yields on various crop production systems, including no-till and organic farming.
At a recent Cover Crops Workshop in J ... 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, Extension Ho ... more. |
... 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 nine acre ... 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 nutrien ... 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 agricul ... 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
For m ... 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 cooler c ... 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 ideas ... 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 erodi ... more. |
... a homemade injector attached to a hose nearly two miles long
• Reduced water content by 50 percent with new technology that manages pigs' use of water
Rulon Enterprises , Arcadia, Indiana
• 15 years of no-till for corn and soybeans
• Extensive use of precision agriculture technology to create a whole-farm fertility record
• Integrated manure management and cover crops used in conservation system
• Drainage managed and buffers incorporated for a total resource management system
Beck's Hybrids , Atlanta, Indiana
• Largest U.S. independent retail seed company
• 18-year no-till demonstration plots in Practical Farm Research™ (PFR) program
• Other studies look at strip-till and strip cropping with various crop combinati ... 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.
Pes ... 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 agr ... 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. |
... 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
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... 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. |
...
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
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... 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. |
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. |
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 other farm management decisions?
Well now you can.
Thanks to a generous grant from General Mills, cover crop coaches are now available through the Cover Crop Coach progr ... 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. |
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 transfe ... 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 basics ... more. |
... 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 in P and K and low in N. As a result, applying enough manure to supply the nitrogen needs of certain crops can cause an over-application of P and K. Conversely, setting manure rates by P and K levels leaves the crop hungry for more N than the manure can provide.
“P and K saturation [in the soil] reduces the value of the manure from a farmer’s perspective because it’s then worth just the value of the nitrogen,” notes Rauch. “In that case, they may be better o ... 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
|
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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 advis ... more. |
... 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. |
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. |
... — all vital to keeping up with the world’s growing demand for food, feed, fuel and fiber.
A new booklet developed by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) — “Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology” — digs deep into the data surrounding the adoption of biotech crops.
Among many important statistics, the document describes:
The projected growth of the global population to 9 billion by 2040;
The 69-percent increase in no-till farming since the 1996 introduction of herbicide-resistant crops;
A drop in herbicide usage of 47.4 million pounds of active ingredient where herbicide-tolerant soybeans or cotton were planted in the Unit ... more. |
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 potential damage of the pest is then weighed against the cost
of control. Finally, if pest control is economical, all alternatives are evaluated based on
cost, results, and environmental impact. Precaution is taken to keep any chemicals from
leaving the field by leaching, r ... more. |
Agricultural biotechnology delivers more than just streamlined pest management options or the promise of healthier, higher quality crops. Biotech-derived crops allow growers to adopt sustainable farming practices ranging from conservation tillage to integrated pest management. Those practices protect soil, water and air quality and allow producers to sustain our natural resources as well as our lives and lifestyles.
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), with funding from the United Soybean Board, has produced ... 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
|
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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 Conserva ... 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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... 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. |
... 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. |
... Conservation in Supply Chains, will help connect the circle from farmer to consumer. At this year’s event, farmers, input suppliers, conservation advocates and processors will dig deep and share their perspectives on sustainable, climate-smart food production. Attendees can look forward to seeing the supply chain up close and personal, including cutting edge dairy practices, specialty crops like sugar beets and dry beans, milling and processing, and more!
NEW this year: a special mixer for the next generation of conservation agriculture champions! Bring a young colleague, the new person in the office, an intern or a student. After all, the future of conservation agriculture is about more than crops: it’s about people, too.
Another new addition to the ... more. |
... Tillage Fall Nitrogen Application
We designed this study to demonstrate differences in nitrogen rates and yields under the same nitrogen product, where the producer planted corn for two consecutive growing seasons.
We conducted this trial to: demonstrate strip... Read more.
Strip-till Nitrogen
Keep nutrients in the Right Place, where crops can use them.
The farmer uses real-time kinematic precision guidance to apply N fertilizer in fall or early spring in a closely-controlled location relative to... Read more.
SUPERU
SUPERU®, a urea based product, contains urease and denitrification inhibitors within the fertilizer granule.
Koch Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen ... more. |
Argonne National Laboratory found a home for its biomass test site on the Ray Popejoy farm in the Indian Creek watershed.
Argonne is exploring the potential for farmers to employ underused or marginal land to produce crops for biomass energy. Factors studied include economic potential and water quality benefits.
As this project moves forward, funding from the Department of Energy is expected to support the scientific investigation and field study. Agribusiness will assist with identifying potential supply chain participants.
The project will address:
the disconnection between producers and u ... more. |
... provided by the United Soybean Board, updated its 2003 publication on conservation tillage and biotechnology. CTIC's new publication, "Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology", explores the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. The publication, reviewed by a panel of experts, shows the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years. Among many important statistics, the document describes:
The projected growth of the global population to 9 billion by 2040
The 69 percent increase in no-till farming since the 1996 introduction of herbici ... more. |
This publication examines the factors that affect glyphosate performance and offers management
strategies to minimize fluctuations in its effectiveness.
The Glyphosate, Weeds, and Crops Series: Understanding Glyphosate To Increase Performance
|
Biotech crops have reduced the risks and challenges of switching to conservation tillage or no-till practices. Since glyphosate-tolerant crops were introduced in 1996, acreage of no-till full-season soybeans in the U.S. has increased by nearly 70%.
Click here to see the data.
|
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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. |
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
|
Cover Crop Webinars (Cisco Seeds)
|
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.
|
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. |
... 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. |
Diverse Corn Belt
The Diverse Corn Belt (DCB) is a multidisciplinary project exploring alternative crops, longer rotations, and integrating livestockand perennials that could help increase resilience in Midwest agriculture - is seeking farmer input through focus groups and in-field research. The project's 30 partners are exploring diversification at the farm, market, and landscape level that can broaden new opportunities for Midwest farmers and rural communities, says Dr. Linda S. Prokopy ... more. |
... for the Conservation in Action Tour in Frankenmuth, Michigan is still open. Join us next week, July 10-11th.
This year’s tour theme, Experiencing Conservation in Supply Chains, will help connect the circle from farmer to consumer.
Attendees can look forward to seeing the supply chain up close and personal, including cutting edge dairy practices, specialty crops like sugar beets and dry beans, milling and processing, and more!
Check out the agenda for the tour atHERE.
Online registration for the tour is quick and easy athttps://www.ctic.org/tourregistration.
The registration fee includes all tour activities, bus transportation and meals.
Thank you to our sponsors:
... more. |
The Diverse Corn Belt project—a multidisciplinary project exploring alternative crops, longer rotations, integrating livestock and perennials that could help increase resilience in Midwest agriculture—is seeking farmer input through focus groups and in-field research. The project's 30 partners are exploring diversification at the farm, market and landscape level that can broaden new opportunities for Midwest farmers and rural communities, says Dr. Linda S. Prokopy of Pur ... more. |
... field enrolled in PLUS-UP. Developed by the Texas Institute for Applied Environmental Research at Tarleton State University, NTT is a powerful tool for estimating the nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment losses from cropland and pasture.
NTT is available online and draws on a comprehensive soil database, making it extremely accurate on a field scale. The model includes a wide range of crops, rotations, nutrient and management options that allow users to calculate economic and environmental outcomes based on real-world data. The versatility and accuracy of NTT make it an ideal tool for quantifying the effects and calculating payments under the PLUS-UP program.
NTT is available online for use by farmers and ranchers as well as scientists. Click here to learn more about NT ... 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. |
... updates, news releases and more.
On-farm demonstrations showcase the latest products, techniques, equipment and tools for resource conservation.With funding from USDA, CTIC will employ tile outlet monitoring to measure water quality.
CTIC and Livingston SWCD partner with Argonne National Laboratories to study the growth and water quality effects of bio-energy crops in the Indian Creek watershed.
Through a USDA Mississippi River Basin Initiative grant, USDA-NRCS and Livingston County SWCD provide financial assistance to farmers implementing best resource management practices.
Every farmer in the watershed will be contacted to implement conservation practices/systems.
Illinois native Dr. Harold F. Reetz, ... more. |
Food companies want to source sustainably produced crops. CTIC is helping create those supply lines.
|
SUPERU®, a urea based product, contains urease and denitrification inhibitors within the fertilizer granule.
Koch Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.
We designed this trial to determine the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN) and to compare spring, surface applied urea verses spring applied SUPERU®.
SUPERU® showed the highest agronomic efficiency of all the products compared in our NUE trials.
When surface applied on no-till corn after corn, SUPERU®'s returned $106.00 more tha ... more. |
SUPERU®, a urea based product, contains urease and denitrification inhibitors within the fertilizer granule.
Koch Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.
We designed this trial to determine the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN) and to compare spring, surface applied urea verses spring applied SUPERU®.
SUPERU® showed the highest agronomic efficiency of all the products compared in our NUE trials.
When surface applied on no-till corn after corn, SUPERU®'s returned $106.00 more tha ... more. |
Join us for an up-close look at innovative conservation practices on a wide range of crops and farms in Idaho's Treasure Valley, August 23-24. Seats go fast for these great programs - register now!
|
Syngenta's ambition is to bring greater food security in an environmentally sustainable way to an increasingly populous world by creating a worldwide step-change in farm productivity. Through deploying world-class science, we aim to transform the way crops are grown and look beyond yield.
Conservation is a key part of that step-change. Syngenta is a long-time supporter of CTIC and the Center's efforts to study and advocate conservation farming in the Mississippi River Basin, across the U.S. and worldwide. |
Keep nutrients in the Right Place, where crops can use them. |
Keep nutrients in the Right Place, where crops can use them. |
... 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
|
SUPERU®, a urea based product, contains urease and denitrification inhibitors within the fertilizer granule.
Koch Agronomic Services created SUPERU® to increase crops’ nitrogen uptake and efficiency.
We designed this trial to determine the Most Economical Rate of Nitrogen (MERN) and to compare spring, surface applied urea verses spring applied SUPERU®.
SUPERU® showed the highest agronomic efficiency of all the products compared in our NUE trials.
When surface applied on no-till corn after corn, SUPERU® ... more. |
CTIC's new publication, Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology.
This publication explores the breadth of the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. Access the full document or executive summary to learn about the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years.
|
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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... rainfall data, soil profile water level, water purity and flow rates.
Using these systems, producers can retain water through the fallow months, preserving nitrogen and other nutrients; lower the water table level for fieldwork in the spring; and raise it again through the growing season. The water table level can be adjusted according to weather conditions and the needs of the crops and environment, and adjustments can be made to reduce flooding in response to rainfall.
Drainage water management provides many conservation benefits. Proper drainage water management can increase soil organic matter content. Prior to fieldwork, drainage can help eliminate compaction problems. Increasing moisture can help control wind erosion.
And, less n ... more. |
... 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 crops while maintaining and improving the environment. To learn more about the American Society of Agronomy, visit www.agronomy.org
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To meet the projected soybean demand of 2030, growers would have to add 168 million acres of soybeans to existing production if global yields remained the same as today, or double those yields to 59.5 bushels per acre to harvest enough soybeans on today’s acreage.
Biotech crops show promise to double or triple the current rate of yield increase in corn, and match or exceed the average 0.5-bushel-per-acre annual increase in soybean yields.
|
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.
|
CTIC's new publication, Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology, explores the breadth of the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. Access the full document and executive summary to learn about the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years.
According to Dr. Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution, farmers must produce more food in the next 50 years than has been produced in the past 10,000 years combined – and they’ll need to do it in an en ... 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.
Size: 671 x 1000 pixels (176k)
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. |
... 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 incr ... more. |
... 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 develop profitable farms. Consulting with expert organic farmers, the authors share rotation strategies that can be applied under various field conditions and with a wide range of crops.
To learn more, or to download or purchase a copy of this manual, visit www.sare.org/publications/croprotation.htm.
Farmers can take steps to reduce manure pathogens in runoff
Scientists with The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center say farmers who apply manure as a fertilizer to their no-till field can decrease the chance that pathogen ... more. |
... fields. The Delta Center’s Matt Rhine discussed in-season nitrogen application. “To apply the optimal nitrogen rate, we detect and correct nitrogen needs during the growing season,” said Rhine, who has worked as a research associate for over four years. His work has included developing and conducting research concerning production practices and nutrient management on several crops, including rice.
The afternoon featured Dr. Peter Scharf’s presentation of “on-the-go” nitrogen sensors. With this technology, optical sensors attached to the front of a tractor or fertilizer applicator measure plant size and color. A computer tells the applicator where and how much fertilizer to apply as the farmer drives. Dr. Peter Scharf is an associate professor at the ... more. |
CTIC's new publication, Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology, explores the breadth of the environmental benefits of conservation tillage practices, which are facilitated significantly by biotechnology crops. Access the full document and executive summary to learn about the dramatic improvements in environmental sustainability and productivity over the past several years.
According to Dr. Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution, farmers must produce more food in the next 50 years than has been produced in the past 10,000 years combined – and they’ll need to do it in an env ... 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. |
... Operations (CAFOs) to apply for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Set to limit the discharges of pathogens, ammonia and other water quality parameters like biological oxygen demand, NPDES permits put the livestock operations, at some levels, in the same category as industrial facilities like wastewater treatment plants or paper mills.
The NPDES program covers approximately 15,500 CAFOs, which account for 60 percent of the manure generated by operations that confine animals for 45 days or longer over a 12-month period. But the good news for more than 34,000 producers is that the federal government is providing a golden opportunity for medium-sized outfits to avoid the permit requirement by simply preventing the discharge of manure to surface waters.
... 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. |
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... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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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... 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. |
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 re ... 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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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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... 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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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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... 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 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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... 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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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. |
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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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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...
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. |
... 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. |
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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Date
Location
Contact
February 21
Ogemaw County
Ogemaw Co MSU Extension Office
Rifle River Watershed
West Branch, MI
Paul Gross
989-772-0911x302
gros ... 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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Conservation Tillage Types - over 30% cover after planting..more
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... 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. |
... 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. |
... 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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... 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. |
... 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. |
At the heart of the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) lies a dedicated and diverse group of professionals who lead our organization with vision, expertise, and a shared commitment to sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation. Our Board of Directors is comprised of individuals who bring a wealth of experience and knowledge from various fields, uniting to drive CTIC's mission f ... more. |
... 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. Conservation d ... more. |
Thank You Sponsors!
The 2017 Conservation in Action Tour is hosted by CTIC with the support of our Tour Sponsors:
Evening Social
John Deere
Diamond
Bayer CropScience
Monsanto
Platinum
Dow AgroSciences
Syngenta
The Fertilizer Institute
Click hereto see a complete list of 2017 Tour sponsors.
Why attend the Tour?
This is one of the most well-organized multi-stop tours I've ever been on - I'm hoping to take some of your great ideas and implement them.
~Anonymous, 2016 Tour Participant
... more. |
... 13th:
8:00 Leave the official CTIC Tour hotel- Hilton Frontenac, St. Louis
9:00 Arrive at the Henry White Experimental Farm
Speakers include:
-Elliot Lagacy, Illinois Department of Agriculture
- Nathan Fields, National Corn Growers Association
- Randy McElroy, Bayer Crop Science – Henry White Farm Introduction
- Nathan Johanning, U of IL Extension – Cover Crop Species
- Dr. Karla Gage, Southern Illinois University & Mike Wuerffel,
Beekeeper – Pollinator Habitats
- Dr. Stacy Zuber, Illinois State Soil Health Specialist – Soil Health and Tillage
12:15 Lunch provided by CTIC at the Hilton St. Louis Frontenac
Special lunch speaker Louis Aspey, NRCS Associate Chief
2:00 Arrive at the Donald Danforth Plant Scien ... 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 farm ... more. |
... registration takes just moments at https://www.ctic.org/cia_tour/registration. The $175 registration fee includes transportation, stops and all meals.
For more information on the Conservation in Action Tour, visit CTIC's website or call CTIC at (765) 494-9555.
The CTIC Conservation in Action Tour is sponsored in part by our Diamond-level sponsors—Bayer CropScience, The Mosaic Company, Syngenta and The Conservation Infrastructure Initiative co-led by the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)—and our Platinum sponsors, The Fertilizer Institute and Corteva Agriscience.
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... registration takes just moments at https://www.ctic.org/cia_tour/registration. The $175 registration fee includes transportation, stops and all meals.
For more information on the Conservation in Action Tour, visit CTIC's website or call CTIC at (765) 494-9555.
The CTIC Conservation in Action Tour is sponsored in part by our Diamond-level sponsors—Bayer CropScience, The Mosaic Company, Syngenta and The Conservation Infrastructure Initiative co-led by the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)—and our Platinum sponsors, The Fertilizer Institute and Corteva Agriscience.
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... in a Conservation in Action Tour reservation block at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Des Moines at the special rate of $129 per night for August 20 and 21. The lodging web page includes a link for online booking of rooms at the discount rate.
Sponsors of the 2019 Conservation in Action Tour include:
Social Event Sponsor:John Deere
Diamond sponsors: The Mosaic Company, Bayer CropScience, Syngenta and the Conservation Infrastructure Initiative co-led by IAWA and IDALS
Platinum Sponsor: The Fertilizer Institute
Gold Sponsor: Nutrien
Silver Sponsors: Certified Crop Advisors, Field to Market, JR Simplot and The Nature Conservancy
Bronze sponsor: NACD
Copper Sponsor: Sand County Foundation
Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit the CTIC we ... more. |
... number of rooms are being held in a Conservation in Action Tour reservation block at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Des Moines at the special rate of $129 per night for August 20 and 21. The registration web page includes a link for online booking of rooms at the discount rate.
Sponsors of the 2019 Conservation in Action Tour include Diamond sponsors The Mosaic Company, Bayer CropScience and Syngenta; Platinum sponsor The Fertilizer Institute; Gold sponsor Nutrien; Silver sponsors Certified Crop Advisors, Field to Market, JR Simplot and The Nature Conservancy; Copper sponsor Sand County Foundation; and Social Event sponsor John Deere. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available: contact Crystal Hatfield at hatfield@ctic.org or (765) 494-9555 for more information.
... more. |
... from a watershed project and a sales rep from a big manufacturer and talk about what we're seeing that day," Palmer adds.
Sponsorship opportunities are available—contact Crystal Hatfield at the CTIC office (765/494-9555 or hatfield@ctic.org) to learn more. Currently, John Deere is once again sponsoring the opening night social on August 20. The Mosaic Company and Bayer CropScience are Diamond sponsors, and Field to Market is a Silver sponsor...and there's room for more.
The Embassy Suites in downtown Des Moines will be the headquarters hotel for the tour. Booking and details on the tour will be available shortly on the new CTIC website at www.ctic.org/cia_tours.
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... your CTIC membership. Renewing your membership helps us continue to make a difference in conservation agriculture and helps us continue to grow our organization.
Thank you to the following individuals and organizations who have already renewed:
Agri Drain Corporation
Agri-Pulse Communications
American Seed Trade Association
American Society of Agronomy, Inc.
Bayer CropScience
Case IH
Cotton Incorporated
CropLife America
David Muth
Dr. E.J. Dunphy
Eco Agro Resources
Field to Market
Grassland Oregon
Illinois Corn Growers Association
Indiana Corn Marketing Council
Indiana Soybean Alliance
Innovation Center for U.S.Dairy
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
IPNI
James Lake
John Deere
Joseph Glassmeyer
Land Pro LLC
Larry Heatherly
Michael Adsit
Monsanto
... more. |
Thank You Sponsors!
The 2017 Conservation in Action Tour is hosted by CTIC with the support of our Tour Sponsors:
Evening Social
John Deere
Diamond
Bayer CropScience
Monsanto
Platinum
Dow AgroSciences
Syngenta
The Fertilizer Institute
Click hereto see a complete list of 2017 Tour sponsors.
Why attend the Tour?
This is one of the most well-organized multi-stop tours I've ever been on - I'm hoping to take some of your great ideas and implement them.
~Anonymous, 2016 Tour Participant
... more. |
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CTIC Bronze Corporate Member, Bayer CropScience, has a vision to be a leading partner in providing innovative products and combined solutions for the production of quality food, feed and fiber to meet the global challenges of tomorrow. To learn more about Bayer CropScience, visit www.bayercropscience.com.
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