Farmer-Led Research

In a Nutshell Successfully raising corn after a cover crop requires timely cover crop termination and N fertilization. Commonly, farmers terminate a cover crop 2-3 weeks prior to planting corn but generally do not need to apply any …

In a Nutshell Three farms conducted replicated variety trials in high tunnels of tomato varieties: Big Beef, Rebelski, Big Dena. Key Findings No farm showed statistical differences in overall yield (lb/ft2) among varieties. Landgraf and Quee had statistical …

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 Can frost-seeding small-seeded brassica species into crop residue be an effective spring cover crop strategy? Key Findings Among three locations, mustard provided the most groundcover. When frost-seeded in the spring, cover crop growth appears to …

In a Nutshell Small grain crops, like oats, are seeing renewed interest by farmers in Iowa. Iowa was once a nationwide leader in oats production, but many farm families have not grown them for a generation or two. …

In a Nutshell Seeding cover crops earlier in the fall can translate to greater fall and spring biomass and may present the opportunity for more diverse cover crop species selection. Early maturing varieties of corn (104105-day) and soybean …

In a Nutshell Cereal rye, oats and other small grains grass species have been proven as effective cover crops in corn-soybean systems in Iowa. Cooperators screened grass, legume and brassica species for fall and spring groundcover in hand-seeded plots …

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 …

In a Nutshell 12 fruit and vegetable farms provided a profit-loss statement and simple balance sheet for 2014. Four of the 12 are meeting their personal expectations for profitability. Seven of the participating farms also provided data for …

In a Nutshell Green manure cover crops best fit into extended and diversified crop rotations between the small grain and corn phases of the rotation. Farmer-cooperator Wade Dooley compared corn following two green manure strategies: a red clover …

Summary The highboy seeding technique allows for an early seeding date that resulted in additional cover crop growth when compared to the drilled treatment that followed corn and soybean harvest. When comparing biomass of cover crop mixtures, the …

Summary Farmers reported that in 55 of 59 site-years, properly managed cover crops had little to no negative effect on corn and soybean yield (and actually increased soybean yield in 7 site-years and corn yield in 2 site-years).