Published Mar 17, 2021

2021 Virtual Cover Crop Boot Camp
By Practical Farmers of Iowa

Check out the recordings from the of the 2021 virtual cover crop boot camp. If you weren’t able to make the live event or want to revisit a few of the sessions, watch below.

If you’re interested in learning more about cover crops, check out the latest PFI cover crop resources, visit our cover crops page and be sure to sign up to receive our cover crop email newsletter, The Practical Cover Cropper.

Cover Crop Economics – Chad Bell & Rebecca Clay

In this video, hear presentations from Chad Bell and Rebecca Clay on cover crop economics, followed by Q&A.

Chad Bell is a sixth-generation farmer near Viola in northwestern Illinois. He has been using cover crops for eight years. Chad works to make cover crops pay on his farm and is learning what’s needed to re-evaluate those changes to save money over time. Learn more about Chad in this video,

Rebecca Clay is Practical Farmers of Iowa’s strategic initiatives agronomy coordinator. She consults farmers on cover crop and small grain production and analyzes farm-level cover crop financials. She will share aggregated data and lessons learned from experienced cover crops on how to control costs.

Planter Set-Up, Nitrogen, Planting Green & More – Nathan Anderson & Keaton Krueger

Experienced cover cropper Nathan Anderson and new cover crop user Keaton Krueger discuss planter set-up, nitrogen, planting green and one another’s cover crop challenges and ideas.

Nathan and Keaton share the good, the bad and the ugly to help keep all farmers learning together and moving forward on their own farms.

Nathan Anderson runs Bobolink Prairie Farms near Aurelia, Iowa. Nathan, Sarah and their family have grown their cattle herd while improving grazing management and incorporating cover crops. They plant cover crops into no-till, strip-till and sometimes worked ground in the spring. Nathan will share his insights about these different planting conditions.

Keaton Krueger farms with his wife, Angela, on her family farm near Ogden, Iowa. They are beginning farmers who currently raise corn and soybeans, and will be finishing some hogs for the first time in 2021. 2020 was the first year Keaton used cover crops and will share how they get prepared for spring when cover crops is new to the operation.