Monetizing Soil Health: An Innovative Strategy to Drive Greater Adoption of Cover Crops and No-Till
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Benefits of winter cereal rye cultivar selection in mitigating corn yield drag
Project
Furthering our understanding of the interaction of cereal rye allelochemicals with Pythium species and their impact on corn in the cereal rye-corn production system
Project
New USDA grant supports research to initiate Ag DIRT experiment, refine cover crop recommendations
News
AMES, Iowa — A team of scientists led by Iowa State University has won a $649,000 grant from USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture to study the intricacies of cereal rye cover crops.
Cover Crop and Saturated Buffer Field Day near Walcott, November 17
Event
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
The public is invited to a field day near Walcott, Iowa, that will feature cover crops and a saturated buffer, Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 12:00-2:00 p.m., hosted by the Iowa Learning Farms, the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering, Iowa Geological Survey and Partners of Scott County Watersheds. The field day will begin at Paustian Farms, 6520 215th St, Walcott, IA 52773. The free event includes a complimentary meal. RSVPs are encouraged to ensure adequate space and food (contact Liz Ripley, 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu). Find more details and directions online.
Cover Crops at the Small Watershed Scale
Event
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - 12:00pm
INRC Director Matt Helmers will discuss the impact of cover crop implementation on water quality in two small watersheds for an Iowa Learning Farms webinar, Wednesday, March 3, at noon. More information and link to register at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/cover-crops-small-watershed-scale.
Virtual Field Day: Exploring the Impact of Cover Crops on Water Quality
Event
Thursday, April 15, 2021 - 1:00pm
Mark Licht, Iowa State University Assistant Professor and Extension Cropping Systems Specialist, and Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center Director, will discuss spring cover crop management and the impact of cover crops on water quality at a virtual field day, April 15, at 1:00 p.m. CDT.
Virtual Field Day November 5: Exploring Impacts of Cover Crops, Tillage & N-Inhibitors on Crop Performance and Water Quality
Event
Thursday, November 5, 2020 - 1:00pm
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and Conservation Learning Group (CLG), is hosting a free virtual field day exploring impacts of cover crops, tillage and nitrogen-inhibitors on crop performance and water quality on Thursday, November 5th at 1 p.m. CST.
Furthering our understanding of the role of cereal rye allelochemicals in the cereal rye-corn production system
Project
Harvested winter rye energy cover crop: multiple benefits for North Central US
News
A publication in Bioenergy Research Letters by INRC Director Matt Helmers and others, reports findings of a model-based investigation on the potential benefits of growing winter rye as a cover crop as part of corn-soybean rotations in the North-Central Region of the U.S. They concluded that harvesting fertilized rye CCs before soybean planting in this area could reduce nitrogen loads to the Gulf of Mexico by 27% relative to no cover crops, while providing an estimated 18 million Mg yr−1 of biomass-equivalent to 0.21 EJ yr−1 of biogas energy content (3.5 times the 2022 US cellulosic biofuel production).