Cover Crop Strategies Podcast

In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg., Ryan Schmid, a research scientist and agroecologist at the Ecdysis Foundation in South Dakota, gives a preview into his upcoming presentation at the 2023 National Cover Crop Summit. His presentation features a “how-to” guide and background info on how Ryan turned tillage equipment into a roller crimper for terminating cover crops. He says if he can do it, anyone can.

No matter where or what you farm, your operation can benefit from cover crops. Planting covers improves soil biology, increases water infiltration, saves money and more. In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, Seth Watkins of southern Iowa joins us for a discussion about the benefits of incorporating cover crops into your operation specifically as a means to stay committed to improving soil health, conserving the land and keeping our waters clean.

In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Montag Mfg., Brian Ward of Clemson University's Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, S.C., joins us for a discussion about maximizing the benefits of cover crops in vegetable and organic systems. Ward also discusses some of his research on organic watermelon growth and its relation to pollen and bees.

As 2022 comes to a close, we’re revisiting some of the most-played episodes of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE by Sound Agriculture. Listen in as we count down the top three most-played episodes of 2022, featuring insight the economic returns of grazing beef cattle on cover crops, the costs of cover crops compared to tillage and soil compaction, and reducing fertilizer use with cover crops.

On this week’s edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by SOURCE® by Sound Agriculture, Jim Denys of Parkhill, Ont., Dean Jackson of Columbia Crossroads, Penn., and Lucinda Stuenkel of Palmer, Kan., join us for a panel discussion about the benefits of incorporating cover crops into your operation — wherever you farm.

This week’s episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Source by Sound Agriculture, features an interview with Andrew Moore, the Executive Director at the National Agricultural Aviation Association.

This week’s episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast features John Wallace, an Assistant Professor of Weed Science at Pennsylvania State University. Wallace talks about why the V4-V5 stage of corn growth is the best time to put cover crops on 30-inch corn. That period allows for cover crop development before the canopy closes.

2022 Strip-Till Innovator award winner Bryan Ryberg farms 5,200 acres in Buffalo Lake, Minn. He was the first grower to strip-till sugar beets in Minnesota. Cover crops are everywhere on Ryberg’s farm. He’s particularly partial to cereal rye for weed and erosion control. In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, editor Michaela Paukner talks to Ryberg about his practices, including cover crops, about preserving soil health, and more.

On this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Source by Sound Agriculture, cover cropper and no-tiller Jesse Horn talks about his new approach, and about how expanded from a seed dealer into a full-service equipment dealer under the brand Big H Ag Supply, and more.

We’re taking the show on the road this week to Boone, Iowa, for a look at some of the cover crop equipment on display at the Farm Progress Show. For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, we’ll hear from APV-America’s Cameron White, Yetter’s Andy Thompson, Unverferth’s Andy Unverferth and Mandako’s Mark Lussier. They’ll showcase their company’s products and talk about the latest trends in the cover crop world. Videos from the conversations in this podcast can be found on the Cover Crop Strategies video page.

Wisconsin dairyman Chris Conley was motivated to make mammoth changes on his farm after attending a Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Water meeting in 2018. Almost five years later he’s gone from full tillage to 100% no-till and planting green across his 120 acres in Neosho, Wis.

You'll be hard pressed to find someone who knows more about soil health than Jay Fuhrer. The soil health specialist spent nearly 40 years with the USDA and is now pushing the envelope at the Menoken Conservation Demonstration Farm just east of Bismarck, N.D. In this edition of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Fuhrer shares some key observations from Menoken, in addition to breaking down the 5 principles of soil health: soil armor, minimal soil disturbance, plant diversity, continual living plant/root and livestock integration.

Myron Sylling farms over 1,600 acres with his brother, Mikal, in Spring Grove, Minnesota. Through various on-farm research trials, the Sylling brothers have been able to get an accurate read on the benefits of cover crops in their no-till system. On this week’s edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Myron details how cover crops are paying off, from scavenging nutrients to increasing soil organic matter by 1%. Myron also explains the importance of on-farm testing and shares a valuable tip that could help prevent yield loss when planting green with corn.

First-generation farmer James Hepp, of Rockwell City, Iowa, joins us for this week’s edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences. In just his third year on the job, Hepp is already seeing several benefits from cover crops, perhaps none bigger than weed control.

Joe Hamilton was a mechanical engineer for 12 years before returning to the farm in 2015. He farms about 2,500 acres, growing corn and soybeans with his family in East Central Ind. For this edition of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Joe gives us the rundown on all the species that cover nearly 75% of his farm, including annual ryegrass, barley, cereal rye, oats, rapeseed and crimson clover.

For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, we’re tapping into TJ Kartes’ knowledge about all things cover crops, from seeding tips to some of the biggest challenges his customers face. We’ll also get TJ’s take on equipment trends, potential regulations, cover crop myths and why farmers shouldn’t wait until the last minute to order seeds for the fall.

The Augustians are all in on cover crops. Aaron, along with his dad, Eddie, just built a 30-foot, 12-row interseeder to plant cover crops into corn. As far as they know, it’s the first interseeder of its kind. For this installment of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Aaron tells us how the new interseeder works and breaks down the key to getting a successful cover crop stand.

We’re headed to Bardwell, Ky., where Reddick Farms recently won the 2022 Leopold Conservation Award. Fresh off capturing the prestigious honor, the father-son duo of Brad and Joel Reddick join us for a conversation about conservation. The Reddicks grow cover crops on every acre of their farm, and they’re considered pioneers in Western Kentucky when it comes to planting green.

A new cover crop, Nuseed Carinata, set to launch this fall in the south, should pique the interest of farmers looking to boost their bottom line in between main food crops. For this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, we’ll get the scoop from Nuseed North American marketing lead Roger Rotariu and Nuseed Carinata communications director Colleen Shaw.

We’re headed to the great state of Ohio this week to catch up with Dusty Sonnenberg, owner and operator of Sonnenberg Farms and Jay Calf Ranch in Henry County. Not only is Dusty a huge Buckeyes fan, but the Ohio State grad is also a big fan of cover crops. On this episode of Cover Crop Strategies, brought to you by Verdesian Life Sciences, Dusty shares how cereal rye, canola, rapeseed and oats are paying off big time in his operation, especially when it comes to dealing with dry spells in Northwest Ohio. When Dusty’s not farming, you'll probably find him talking with farmers as a broadcaster and writer for Ohio Ag Net. We’ll get his thoughts and observations on the latest cover cropping trends.