Cover Crops

[Video] How 'Shallow Tillage' Can Improve Seedbed Prep, Cover Crop Establishment

jdobberstein@lesspub.com — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 11:00:00 -0500

Josh Metsker, chief sales and marketing officer for Kelly Tillage, explains how the company's implements can help growers with seedbed preparation, residue management, cover crop establishment and more to improve operational results and efficiency without making a mess of soil structure.

[Podcast] What You DON’T Want to Miss at This Year’s National No-Tillage Conference

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500

In the latest episode of the podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, Senior Editor John Dobberstein shares some of the exciting educational sessions and networking opportunities growers will have at their fingertips at the 2026 National No-Till Conference, Jan. 6-9, in St. Louis.

Solar-Powered Autonomous Sprayer Gets New Refill Station

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 05:00:39 -0500

Let’s talk tech now and go ahead of the curve with the solar-powered Solix sprayer robot from Solinftec. The company says 50 of its robots in Indiana and Illinois reduced herbicide volume by up to 98% last year. And Taylor Wetli says a brand-new refill station could make it even more practical for farmers.

A Father-Son Cover Crop Business

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 05:00:39 -0500

Many of you are familiar with Iowa no-tiller and Executive Director of the Conservation Technology Information Center, Ryan Heiniger. Recently I had a chance to chat with Ryan and his son Matt - who is currently a senior in high school — about the new cover crop business they started this summer called Clear Water Cover Crops.

[Video] A Look at TerraMax’s Ag Biologicals R&D and Production Facilities

mlessiter@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 07:00:00 -0500

Brian Kibble Kisely, product manager for TerraMax, gives us a tour of the company's facilities to show how ag biological products are made from start to finish.

[Podcast] First-Generation Growers Break Down Challenges, Victories with Conservation Farming

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 10:00:00 -0500

In the latest episode of the podcast, brought to you by Yetter Farm Equipment, technology editor Noah Newman sits down with young farmers James Hepp and Joel Reddick for a discussion about their strip-till and no-till systems, and the challenges they face as young farmers.

Treating Your Cover Crop Like a Cash Crop

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 06:00:39 -0400

No-Till Innovator and Williamsport, Ind., no-tiller Rick Clark knows just how important it is to manage your cover crops as if they were your cash crops.

Historic Flooding No Match for Cereal Rye & Strip-Till

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 06:00:39 -0400

Back in August, we covered a historic storm that dumped a foot of rain on the Milwaukee area in less than a day. Basse’s Farms in Colgate, Wis., was right in the middle of it.

Jason Webster Reveals Biggest ‘Money Loser’ at PTI Farm

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 06:00:39 -0400

Let's head over to the PTx Trimble Precision Planting tent now. Hey, look who it is. PTI Research Farm Manager, Jason Webster, doing his thing on the main stage. So Jason shared a list of the top 10 money losers at the PTI Farm. Number one is corn that's planted too early.

Dave Hula Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Farm Progress Show

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:00:39 -0400

A big moment for David Hula. The Charles City, Virginian no-tiller and strip-tiller received a lifetime achievement award here at the show and he was joined on stage by representatives from all the companies that help him achieve those bin-busting, record-setting yields.

Ahead of the Curve: InnerPlant Gives Farmers Superpowers

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:00:39 -0400

We're always trying to stay ahead of the curve here at Conservation Ag Update. And I think we did just that with this next thing from InnerPlant. I mean, crops that can talk? You got to see it to believe it.

No-Tillers Looking to Do More with Less at Farm Progress Show

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:00:39 -0400

I caught up with local farmer, Dave Brown, who no-tills and strip-tills near Warrensburg, Illinois, and he talked about how the growing season is going so far for him and also some of the things he's looking forward to seeing at the show this year.

Farmer Launches Terraform SmartProbe System to Map Compaction

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 06:00:39 -0400

I'm over here standing in a big field of cover crops where Green Cover has lots of different cover crop species and mixes on display. Something else interesting going on at the Green Cover tent this year is a cool new product from Terraform. This is a product that helps you determine if cover crops might be able to solve compaction issues on your farm.

Syngenta Roots Demonstration Compares Different Nematicides

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 06:00:39 -0400

We're here at the Syngenta tent where I just spoke to Dale Ireland who told me all about a new product from Syngenta. It is a nematicide product that's going to help protect roots against nematode infection.

Video of the Week: Critical Lesson Learned at No-Till Conference

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

Speaking of that, in our Video of the Week, No-Till Legend Ray McCormick shares a valuable piece of information he picked up at the conference a few years ago that influenced how he seeds cover crops with the combine.

Conservation Ag Operator Fellow Deals with Flash Drought

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

While our friends in southeastern Wisconsin deal with that flooding, Michael Thompson is facing a different kind of challenge in Almena, Kan. The Conservation Ag Operator Fellow had his fingers crossed for some timely rains when we last visited him in late May.

Live Demo of Plant Right Minimum Disturbance No-Till Drill

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

Well cover crops and no-till are a match made in heaven and a few weeks ago I had a chance to visit with Loysville, Pa. no-tiller and innovative no-till manufacturer Charlie Martin.

Historic Rain Event Hits No-Till Fields in Wisconsin

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sun, 24 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

And I’m glad he brought up that point about weather because there was historic flooding in the Milwaukee area a couple weekends ago. Jackson, Wis., no-tiller Ross Bishop got around 10 inches of rain in one day, putting the resiliency of his fields to the test.

No-Till Innovator Focuses on Slashing Inputs with New Products

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 23 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

Brownsburg, Ind., No-Till Innovator Mike Starkey stopped by our studio to talk about the 2025 growing season. He’s always looking for ways to improve his efficiency and slash input costs. I asked him, what’s something new you’re trying this year?

State, City Leaders Learn about No-Till at NACD Meeting

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sat, 16 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

The National Association of Conservation Districts gathered for its Summer Meeting in Milwaukee, July 28.

Video of the Week: Gary Zimmer’s Words of Advice

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

The great Gary Zimmer shares some words of advice for farmers during the closing seconds of his Strip-Till Conference presentation.

Strip-Tillers, No-Tillers Gather for NSTC & ISU Field Day

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

The 12th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference is in the books. And what a show it was, with hundreds of farmers, educators and manufacturers exchanging ideas in Iowa City.

Using Cover Crops to Set the Table for Corn

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 06:00:39 -0400

We're here at the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance’s 20th Anniversary celebration on Jim Hershey’s farm, having a field day in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. As you can see we’ve had lots of equipment on display, lots of demos so far and lots of great speakers too.

National Cover Crop Variety Testing Program

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 06:00:39 -0400

As part of a $10 million effort funded by the USDA, the first National Cover Crop Variety Test Report is being released publicly. The project is led by the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture and includes data for 25 varieties representing six different cover crop species.

Multi-Tasking Cover Crops Suppress Weeds, Help Boost No-Tilled Soils

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 06:00:39 -0400

For this episode, we are going to Nelson, Missouri to visit with Alan Weber as he discusses his use of cereal rye and other cover crops on his farm. Weber runs a diversified crop and livestock operation and he’s found cereal rye especially useful in reducing pigweed and waterhemp pressure.

NACD CEO: ‘It’s Never too Late to Start Conservation Journey’

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 06:00:39 -0400

The NRCS is celebrating its 90th anniversary. We caught up with Jeremy Peters, CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts. And after all these years, Jeremy tells us there’s still one big message they like to hammer home.

Jim Hershey’s Cover Crop Garden Experiment for Weed Suppression

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 06:00:39 -0400

Earlier this month I visited Jim Hershey’s farm in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. And while last episode you had a chance to see what his plans are for the upcoming Pennsylvania No-Till alliance Field Day, this week I thought I’d showcase one of Jim’s latest experiments.

No-Till Innovator Reacts to Recent Funding Cuts

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 05:00:39 -0400

Top story on No-TillFarmer.com — A federal grant program that helped drive cover crop and no-till adoption and other climate-focused practices has been cancelled by the Trump administration over concerns about “sky-high administration fees.”

2025 National Cover Crop Survey Release

mvogel@lessitermedia.com — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 05:00:39 -0400

More than 650 farm advisors from across the U.S. participated in a survey on cover crops, shining light on how they advise growers on cover crops. A report on the survey was released this week by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), USDA SARE Program, and the American Seed Trade Association.

Why Fields Without Covers are Like Bad Teenagers

nnewman@lessitermedia.com — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:00:39 -0400

Another highlight from that event included a planter 101 session with Chuck Gruenberger of Deere dealer Riesterer & Schnell, during which Chuck compared an empty field without covers to a rebellious teenager.