Farmer-Led Research
Research reports are written by Practical Farmers staff to ensure consistency and quality, and are available to view or download for free.
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In a Nutshell: Proper management is required for successfully overcoming yield drag in corn following a cereal rye cover crop. This typically involves waiting 10-14 days between cover crop termination and corn planting as well as applying a …
This research was funded by USDA-NRCS. In a Nutshell: Sixteen corn farmers performed 17 replicated strip trials testing their typical nitrogen (N) rate against that rate reduced by 15-45%. Most farms routinely used cover crops in the past …
This research was funded by Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Jack Boyer and Dick Sloan have found success for years using winter small grains like cereal rye and winter wheat as cover crops when seeded in the …
This research was funded by the Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: In recent years, several farmers have wondered about using clover as a companion cover crop or “living mulch” with corn. Such a strategy would increase the …
In a Nutshell: Jack Boyer, Eric Fynaardt, Kevin Holl and Rob Stout each conducted strip trials to test the effect of cereal rye cover crop termination date on corn disease pressure and corn yield. They each compared terminating …
In a Nutshell: Interseeding cover crops to corn at the V4 stage has been met with mixed success, likely because of shading by the tall corn canopy later in the season hindering cover crop growth. Cooperators evaluated the …
In a Nutshell Delaying cover crop termination until soybean planting would allow for more biomass production by the cover crop in the spring presenting the opportunity for more environmental benefit. Farmer-cooperators seeded soybeans 10-14 days after terminating a …
In a Nutshell: Sam Ose has been struggling with weed control in seed corn. He wondered if interseeding a cereal rye cover crop might help suppress weeds and tested two seeding dates: when the corn reached the V6 …
This research was funded by USDA-NRCS, FFAR and Walton Family Foundation. In a Nutshell: Nineteen farmers performed 22 replicated strip trials testing their typical nitrogen (N) rate against that rate reduced by an amount of their choosing. Farmers …
In a Nutshell An earlier seeding date opens up the opportunity for more diverse cover crops like brassicas and legumes that need more time and heat units to grow than common cover crops like cereal rye. Two farmer-cooperators …
In a Nutshell Cover crops are gaining new attention for their ability to reduce weed pressure in soybeans. Specifically, when seeding soybeans directly into a thick cover crop. Farmer-cooperators Jack Boyer and Scott Shriver investigated the effect of …
In a Nutshell If cover crops can successfully be established when interseeded into corn in June, this may permit farmers to use existing equipment (rather than high-clearance machines or airplanes); may permit the use of more diverse cover …
