Cover Crop Strategies Podcast

The new “Rooted Collection” from Wrangler Jeans are made from cotton grown on farms that use cover crops. Roian Atwood, Senior Director of Sustainability with Wrangler & Lee, talks about the opportunity for land stewardship in cotton systems, consumer pressure on corporate decision making, how grazing systems add value to natural systems, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Dealing with slugs can be a real nuisance for many growers. Dr. John Tooker, Penn State University, discusses how seed treatments influence predator populations in the field, how soybean yields respond when slugs are present in fields with both treated and untreated seed, why predator populations are important in your fields and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Retired engineer Bob Recker is an expert on wide row corn. In this week’s podcast, Recker explains how 60-inch corn rows can improve soil health and water quality, why research and development are happening every day on the farm, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators) Editor’s note: For clarification, there has been no research stating that using 60 inch wide corn rows adds significant financial benefit.

In this week’s podcast, crop insurance expert and Wisconsin farmer Ryan Stockwell with the National Wildlife Federation discusses why crop insurance regulations are outdated, why crop insurance eligibility rules are unfavorable to cover crops, how crop insurance will be evolving, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says black oats have impressed him the past few years as a cover crop. The winter hardy Cosaque variety of black oats seems to be most popular and can even be used as a forage. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Using cover crops is a way to protect the soil and mitigate soil loss, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff, and that includes in vegetable production. Groff also explains how vegetable production can be done with no-till, how bare soil can lead to soil-borne disease in vegetable crops, how soil health and plant health are linked, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

In this week’s podcast, Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff discusses cover crop species that are best for planting in late winter/early spring. Find out why spring oats, field peas, red clover and mustard are good choices, why buckwheat is not the best species to plant in the spring, why peas do so well when planted early, and more.

Fall 2019 was extremely wet during harvest, leaving many fields with ruts. In this week’s podcast, Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains how growers can use cover crops, no-till and improving soil health to overcome extreme wet conditions at harvest time.

In this week’s podcast, retired John Deere engineer and farm consultant Bob Recker provides insight on ways to boost soil health without taking fields out of production. Doubling row populations in 60-inch corn allows growers to experiment with cover crops, companion crops, and grazing livestock.

In this week’s podcast, fifth generation farmer Rick Clark from Indiana shares tips on planting green, a practice he’s been using for the past 8 years. Clark has been no-tilling soybeans for 15 years, and no-tilling corn and using cover crops for 10 years. Find out how Clark started using cover crops, why he does not use treated seed, fungicide or insecticide, and why data is so critical to good decision making on the farm.

Seeing earthworms is one of the hallmarks of healthy soil, but Paul Reed Hepperly says that their role is much broader than previously thought. There are 7,000 different species of earthworms that provide valuable benefits, including improving soil quality and increasing crop productivity. Find out how tillage impacts earthworm habitats, how earthworms reproduce, and more in this week’s podcast.

Many growers use treated cover crop seed to kill pests, but Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff says there are valid reasons to consider planting untreated cover crop seed. In this week’s podcast, Groff discusses the side effects of using treated cover crop seed, how treated cover crop seed affects predatory insects, how untreated cover crop seed can help manage slugs, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Farmers around the world face different challenges, but North American growers can learn a lot from how farmers in other countries solve problems. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares insights on how growers use cover crops to retain moisture in the soil in Australia, managing soil erosion in Tasmania, observations on soil types and structure in France, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains why growing two different species of crops—one cash crop and one cover crop--can be beneficial to your bottom line. Often, planting multiple crop species together can cause both species to grow better, especially if the cover crop is a legume. Find out more about this uncommon practice in this week’s podcast. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Negotiating with a landlord can be one of the most stressful conversations for a farmer, particularly if the landlord doesn’t show any interest or pushes back against the idea of using cover crops. In this week’s podcast, Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares tips on how to show the value of cover crops to a landlord, dealing with an absentee landlord, and discussion on landlords’ perceptions of cover crops. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff explains how to discuss with skeptical growers on why they should use covers, how to manage a controversial discussion, how economics fit into the conversation and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

If you have always wanted to try cover crops, but live in an area with a short growing season, this podcast is for you! There are many variables involved when planting cover crops in a short growing season, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Using cover crops as forage for livestock is a profitable and effective way to make cover crops a win-win situation. Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff welcomes guest speaker Monte Bottens, a California crop consultant, in this week’s podcast to discuss how to choose the best cover crop mixes for grazing, how to scale regenerative agriculture, how cash cropping can mesh with grazing livestock, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Although cover crops are becoming more mainstream, there are still those growers out there who are resistant to the idea, according to Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. This podcast shares tips on how to have conversations with your neighbors and other farmers about using cover crops. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

Cover crops are particularly impressive at controlling weeds in a vegetable production system, says Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff. In this podcast, Groff explains how covers supply nitrogen in the soil for vegetable plants, why cover crops should not be used with early-producing vegetables, how pumpkins are cleaner when grown with covers, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)