Understanding, Building, & Maintaining Soil Health – workshop

Posted on May 12, 2017 by rhallberg

Description:

This workshop for farmers and home gardeners will cover the basics of soil health, including SC Soils 101, soil sampling techniques, interpreting soil test results, and using cover crops to improve soil health in both home gardens and commercial vegetable operations. We will also tour City Roots Farm and learn about their soil building practices.

Thursday, June 1st
9AM – 2:30PM Continue reading →

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Saving Costs with Cover Crops

Posted on May 5, 2017 by rhallberg

In ARS News

Cotton farmers in Alabama who use cover crops have a new, cost-cutting option. They can kill their cover crops and plant their cotton in the same pass through a field, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.

Cover crops are gaining in popularity because they suppress weeds and help retain moisture and nutrients. Farmers typically plant cover crops in the fall and kill them in the spring by flattening them with a roller, spraying them with herbicides, or both. After killing the cover crop, growers plant a cash crop in the same field. That usually requires two passes of a tractor: one to kill the cover crop and another a few weeks later to plant the cash crop. Continue reading →

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NC State University leading national initiative on cover crops

Posted on April 12, 2017 by rhallberg

In Southeast Farm Press

Scientists from North Carolina State University are joining with others across the country to promote soil health by developing and helping farmers adopt new cover crops.

Made possible by a $2.2 million grant from Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, the new $6.6 million research initiative aims to “to get new cover crop solutions into the hands of those who use them or will be using them,” according to Twain Butler, a research agronomist with the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation who is leading the project. Continue reading →

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Making Cover Crops Work in No-Till Vegetable Production – workshop in South Carolina

Posted on April 12, 2017 by rhallberg

Join our cover crop specialists for a practical look at using cover crops for no-till production. We’ll start in the classroom for an update on our USDA cover crop research project, and a discussion on nuts and bolts information like varieties, seeding methods, seeding rates, termination methods, planting vegetables into residue, and lessons learned related to all those things. Then we’ll head to the field (Student Organic Farm in Clemson and CREC Research Farm in Charleston) to look at plots, cover crop termination, and depending on timing we could observe planting vegetables into residue. We’ll finish with lunch and Q&A. We’ll also have some print resources available.  Each participant will receive a copy of the Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education Program’s publication “Managing Cover Crops Profitably”. Continue reading →

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Cover Crops Work? See them working in pictures

Posted on April 4, 2017 by rhallberg

All across the United States, farmers are increasingly using cover crops to suppress weeds, conserve soil and control pests and diseases. But agricultural educators know that savvy farmers are reluctant about risk and often want to see cover crops in action before making significant change. SARE’s Library of Cover Crop and Soil Health Images is now available to help educators show producers how cover crops can work on their farms.

The collection includes over 1,500 photos and illustrations organized into 10 galleries. A soil health gallery features high-resolution illustrations compiled in a set of 20 PowerPoint slides for use in presentations.  Continue reading →

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Webinar: Pest Management from an Ecological Framework

Posted on March 31, 2017 by rhallberg

What will you learn?

This webinar will focus on ecological management of agricultural pests (insects and slugs); and, it will emphasize the importance of pairing soil health practices with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to ensure that gains in soil health are not degraded by unnecessary pesticide use. Learn more… Continue reading →

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Interest in no-till is increasing in Texas

Posted on January 11, 2017 by rhallberg

in Southwest Farm Press

by Ron Smith, Southwest Farm Press

Texas cotton farmers are beginning to show more interest in no-till production, says Bobbie McMichael, and he advises that keeping residue on fields will improve soil health.

The Texas Tech University biology professor, speaking at the recent Beltwide Cotton Conferences in Dallas, said residue from cover crops and from previous plantings with no-till and reduced tillage systems, offers numerous benefits to the soil, including reducing water runoff, improving infiltration, and limiting soil erosion. It also benefits the soil and crop in a less visible way, improving microbial activity, especially fungi, which he says are more beneficial to soil and plant health than bacteria.

Read the rest of the story in Southwest Farm Press.

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