Cover Crop Workshop Agenda

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Workshop Agenda

Session 1: Overview of Three Years of Research at Gothenburg Water Utilization Learning Center

Speaker: Alex Rosa

Description:

Researchers at the Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center have been conducting field experiments and demonstrations focused on regenerative ag practices such as no-till, strip-till, cover crops, and crop rotation. Hear Learning Center Agronomist Alex Rosa’s recap of the past three years of regenerative agriculture research, including investigations into the long-term effects of soil carbon storage, soil microbial activity, crop production, and profitability in partnership with land grant universities.

Alex Rosa is a Learning Center Agronomist at the Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center, in Gothenburg, NE. Alex leads Bayer’s regenerative agriculture efforts in the Central Plains, evaluating the short and long-term effects of those practices to increase farmer implementation. He and the team at the learning center create training and educational materials and plan events for anyone interested in regenerative agriculture.

Field Visits: Cover Crop Research in the Field

Speaker: Alex Rosa

On-site fields at Bayer Water Utilization Learning Center play host to various cover crop-focused research trials, from interseeding cover crops in varying corn heights to exploring termination timing effect on cash crops. View the research in action, including comparisons of long-term rotations with and without cover crops. A cover crop “garden” showcases 30 cover crop species that hold different benefits depending on location, crop rotation and plant nutrition needs.

Session 2: Farmer to Farmer: Getting Started and Diversifying with Cover Crops

Speakers: Jordan Carlson & Blake Reynolds

Hear from Blake and Jordan as they ask each other questions about getting started with cover crops and further diversifying their rotations. There will be time at the end of this session for the audience to ask them questions as well.

Jordan Carlson farms with his father Keith near Callaway, NE, growing multiple varieties of corn, small grains and beans. Achieving the diverse crop rotations they have today took many years, which began with a transition to no-till in the 90s and the addition of hairy vetch, small grains and other cover crop mixes over time.

Blake Reynolds of Lexington, NE has been incorporating cover crops on his farm since 2014, generally after corn silage, high moisture corn, or soybeans. Blake has found that wheat, oats and turnips provide a beneficial cover crop mix for his farm. He has explored different methods for planting and occasionally grazes the cover crop mixes during the winter and spring months.

Session 3: Using Cover Crops to Reduce Inputs | Skeeter Rutkowski

Skeeter Rutkowski works as the Nebraska Division Agronomist with Nutrien Ag Solutions and farms corn and soybeans near Cozad, NE. He has been cover cropping for five years and has noted improved weed control and soil structure during that time. Learn from his experiences and expertise on how cover crops can be used to reduce the need for fertilizer and other inputs.

Producer Panel: Incorporating Livestock and Building Soil Health

Speakers: John Schroeder – Vance McCoy – Kent Brown

John, Vance and Kent all have years of experience with cattle and cover crops. They’ll each share a bit of their own background and then there will lots of time for questions from the crowd about anything related to incorporating cover crops and livestock to build soil health.

John Schroeder is the General Manager of Darr Feedlot Inc., of Cozad, NE, a custom cattle feedlot with two feedyards and 48,000 head capacity.  He leads an experienced team to carry out daily activities of cattle feeding, caring for health and maintaining facilities. During his 18 years at Darr, John has focused on incorporating silage and cover crops for grazing cattle and protecting soil. He is passionate about sharing water quality and soil health resources with farmers in his community to promote healthy farms for future generations.

Vance McCoy farms with his wife Ronda near Elsie, NE and has been cover cropping for many years, including on his own farm since 2015. He has experimented with many different cover crops, mostly focusing on cereal rye through the winter and oats in the spring. He grows cover crops for seed, which he sells through his business, Triple Creek Cover Crops, and grazes cattle on many of his cover crops.

Kent Brown of Cozad, NE farms row crops and has been cover cropping 1300 to 1500 acres for more than ten years. Darr Feedlot harvests his silage in the fall, which he follows with a cover crop, usually oats and wheat due to its grazing potential in the fall and continued growth in the spring. He then rents many of the cover crop acres to Darr Feedlot and neighboring farmers for grazing. Kent pays close attention to stocking density when grazing to reduce soil compaction and erosion from loss of residue.