Getting More from Cover Crops

Farmer Jack Boyer will share the results of on-farm research trials he has been conducting in an effort to “get more” from his cover crops, including his trial delaying cover crop termination until the day of soybean planting. Iowa State University agronomy researcher Michael Castellano will join Jack to discuss similar research trials he has conducted.

Jack Boyer grows corn, seed corn and soybeans at J Boyer Farms near Reinbeck, Iowa, where he has been participating in on-farm research projects to successfully integrate cover crops. His projects include experimenting with interseeding different varieties of cover crops into standing corn in the spring and fall, as well as different cover crop termination dates prior to growing soybeans.

Michael Castellano is an associate professor in the department of agronomy at Iowa State University. His research focuses on biogeochemical cycling and transport within the soil as it extends to the atmosphere and subsoil, with particular interest in minimizing nitrogen limitation on crop production while maximizing nitrogen retention.