The latest Cover Crop Survey released earlier this month will be highlighted at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Farm & Lawn Seed Conference, coming up November 5-6 in Kansas City. Since 2014, ASTA and its members have helped support this important survey conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) with funding from USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education …
Survey Says Cover Crops Boost Yield and Weed Control
New nationwide survey results show cover crops acreage has nearly doubled over the past five years and farmers using cover crops are reporting increased yields and improvement in the control of herbicide-resistant weeds. The survey of more than 2000 farmers across the country was conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) with help from Purdue University and funding support …
Grassland Oregon Offers Pastures for Pollinators
In response to the need to protect pollinators and support sustainable livestock farming, Grassland Oregon has introduced a new seed mixture called Pastures for Pollinators that will benefit bees, livestock and sustainable agriculture. Risa DeMasi, co-founder of Grassland Oregon and immediate past chairman of the American Seed Trade Association says proceeds from the sales of Pastures for Pollinators will be …
FMC Promotes Cover Crops for Weed Control
Growers will do about anything to control resistant palmer amaranth in the MidSouth region where Matt Wiggins works as a tech service manager for FMC. And while cover crops have been traditionally considered a method of erosion control, FMC has done a lot of work on understanding how they prevent weeds as well. They’re effective because they create a layer …
Pastures For Pollinators is a Winner
A new clover seed mixture developed by Grassland Oregon (GO) is a win-win for livestock producers and the environment. Pastures for Pollinators is a seed blend including a variety of flowering annual clovers that could help enhance pollinator habitat nationwide, according to GO co-founder Risa DeMasi. “There are 400 million acres of pasture ground in the U.S., and it happens …
Report Finds #Ag Can Help Combat Climate Change
Growers to provide feed, fiber and fuel and now according to a new report released during a press conference at the Farm Progress Show this week, farmers, or agriculture, can also help combat climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). ICF International conducted the research entitled, “Charting a Path to Carbon Neutral Agriculture: Mitigation Potential for Crop …
Cover Crop Survey Reflects Enthusiasm
A new report from 2,020 farmers nationwide shows growers find a boost in corn and soybean yields when they use cover crops. This is the fourth survey conducted by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) with help from the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and Purdue University. Multi-year data highlights the …
Soil Health Institute at #ASTAannual
The cover crops session at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) annual meeting in Portland, Oregon heard about a new initiative focused on soil health – the Soil Health Institute. Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, who was Deputy Chief for Science and Technology for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, is president and CEO of the group that is working to protect and …
Farm Foundation, SHP Share Common Goals
Farm Foundation is one of the supporting partners of the Soil Health Partnership (SHP). While at the Soil Health Summit late last week, Tim Brennan, Farm Foundation, shared why the being a part of the Partnership just makes sense for their organization. The Farm Foundation started the Soil Renaissance (with the Noble Foundation) a little over two years ago to …
Iowa Farmer Joins SHP As Demo Farmer
Last year at Commodity Classic, John Maxwell was introduced to the idea of soil health. From there, he became excited about it and signed up to become a demo farmer with the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) to learn how cover crops could impact the soil on his farm. Years ago, Maxwell originally got into cover crops years ago to feed …