Farmers for Soil Health Presents Covering Ground: A Series on Innovative Cover Crop Seeding Techniques
Farmers for Soil Health, in partnership with the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture, proudly presents two videos in a series on innovative cover crop seeding techniques called “Covering Ground.” This series highlights two increasingly popular seeding methods that can help farmers explore labor-saving ways of cover crop seeding.
The first video, Seeding Cover Crops While Harvesting, features Jim O’Connell, a soybean, corn, and cattle farmer based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He details his experience seeding cover crops with a combine-mounted air seeder during corn or soybean harvest, and highlights the benefits he has seen from implementing this practice in his operation. With this method of cover crop seeding, O’Connell can maximize his efficiency in the field with one piece of machinery, allowing him to save time, fuel, and field passes.
Following this video is Seeding Cover Crops with Drones, which features father-daughter farming duo Alex and Emma Menzel, who run a black angus farm in Archie, Missouri. They have recently begun offering cover crop drone seeding, adding to their ongoing drone business of applying fungicides and herbicides. They detail the benefits they have seen by providing this service in their area. The accompanying fact sheet, Integrating Drone Technology Into Cover Cropping Systems, provides more in-depth information on this cutting-edge agriculture practice.
“Cover crop seeding techniques vary based on farmer preference, land accessibility, equipment type, and cover crop species. For those who are new to cover cropping or want to try a different approach, these farmer-to-farmer insights, paired with the financial incentives available through Farmers for Soil Health, can help make adoption more practical and achievable,” said Olivia Caillouet, Ph.D., Soil Health Program Manager at the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture.
Visit FarmersforSoilHealth.com for more information on the program, benefits of cover crops and resources on how to get started.
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The United Soybean Board, National Pork Board and National Corn Growers Association launched an initiative called Farmers for Soil Health to advance the use of soil health practices like cover crops to help improve farmer profitability. The Farmers for Soil Health initiative exists today within the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, who, with additional support from the Sustainability Consortium, the National Association of Conservation Districts, the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture, the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Program (NCAT-ATTRA), Walton Family Foundation, DTN, Soil Health Institute and USDA-NRCS, administers the Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) grant that provides the primary funding for the project.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G003. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, any reference to specific brands or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for those products or services.