2014

2014 National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health

All session recordings and slide presentations from the National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health are available online. Held in 2014 in Omaha, Neb., the event brought together 300 agricultural leaders and innovators to explore how we can make American agriculture more sustainable through improved soil health. Attendees represented agricultural industry, the farm community, academia, government, commodity and conservation organizations.

Grazing Cover Crops and Benefits for Livestock Operations

This session explored integrating cover crops with livestock operations.

Environmental Impacts of Cover Crops

Speakers in this session discussed both local and off-site environmental impacts of using cover crops.

Cover Crops as Part of an Overall Nutrient Management System

Learn from soil health experts about some of the latest research on impacts of cover crops on soil nutrients.

Integrating No-Till or Strip-Till with Cover Crops

Maximize soil conservation and soil health benefits of cover crops by combining this practice with no-till or strip-till systems.

Terminating Cover Crops for Maximum Benefits

Learn about the various cover crop termination strategies, including considerations for the use of herbicides, roller crimper and other termination options.

Selecting Cover Crops

This session addressed the relative pros and cons of various cover crop species, including the less common cover crops and cover crops suited to grazing use.

Innovative Ways to Seed Cover Crops

This session featured a panel of farmers talking about their experiences with a variety of approaches to seeding and establishing cover crops.

Soil Health Principles

This session covered basic principles necessary to build soil health.

General (Plenary) Session Presentations

General (plenary) presentations on cover crops and soil health.

Broadcast of Opening Sessions

Watch opening sessions of the conference, held on Tuesday, Feb. 18 and broadcasted live to 230 locations across the country as part of the Cover Crops and Soil Health Forums.

Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities

This guide lists funding opportunities offered by federal programs, and is indispensable for anyone seeking government help to foster their innovative enterprise in forestry and agriculture.

FARMDATA

FARMDATA is an online system for tracking and reporting crop production data, particularly for organic vegetable growers. The system can be used for keeping records on seeding, transplanting, harvest, cover crops, compost, fertilization, irrigation, pest scouting and spraying activities, packing, distribution and customer invoicing. FARMDATA uses smart forms that help with calculations and remember key data.

Avicultura Rentable

Avicultura Rentable: Criando Aves en Pasturas es una guía que incluye experiencias de agricultores  y lo último en investigación para criar pollos y pavos usando corrales, cercos portátiles y pasturas.

Sustainable Pest Management in Greenhouses and High Tunnels

From 2007 to 2009, Cornell researchers in New York used a SARE grant to study the efficacy of biological insect control in minimally heated greenhouses and high tunnels or hoop houses. This fact sheet reports the results and provides detailed advice on how growers can use natural enemies to manage insect pests in minimally heated greenhouses and unheated high tunnels.

The Sustainability of Biofuel Fact Sheet Series

This 18-part series addresses topics related to the sustainability of biofuel production, including biodiversity, greenhouse gas reductions, life cycle analysis and more.

Cover Crop Management and Termination

Planning for proper spring management of your cover crop needs to happen before April. Learn from two experts in the field on a couple different methods for termination.

Combining Livestock, Manure and Cover Crops

A livestock and cover crop combination is the fastest way to profit from your investment.