Cover Crops and Compost in Nebraska

Wednesday, June 11
1-3 p.m.

Location

89312 548th Ave.
Crofton, NE 68730

Hosts

Doug & Traci Steffen

Doug and Traci Steffen farm in northeastern Nebraska. They practice no-till and plant cover crops on their 425 acres, and also raise cattle and hogs. Their goal is to reduce the inputs needed for the farm by using the resources they have. To do this, Doug and Traci grow a polyculture of cover crops for livestock feed. They also bale the cover crops for animal bedding and compost waste from the hoop barn.

To get more out of their compost, they inoculate it with farm-grown beneficial microbes, which they apply to fields and use to create extract for seed treatments or foliar sprays. Join the Steffens at this field day to learn more about their approach to compost. You’ll also hear about the role cover crops play in supporting their livestock operation and improving soil health.

Meal

Water will be available at the field day.

See & Discuss

A windrow of compost inoculated with fungal compost
A compost-derived seed treatment applied to seeds before planting
A compost extract foliar spray used for plant health in the fields
How livestock are integrated to improve soil health and profitability
Cover crop species planted and used for livestock feed and bedding, including rye, oats, barley, peas, turnips and flax

Cover Crops and Compost in Nebraska