2022 Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference - Creating Opportunities for In-Season Manure

In Wisconsin, we’re fortunate to have manure as a natural fertilizer. A panel of farmers discuss their experiences (the how) on maximizing the benefits of manure through in-season applications. This session takes a deeper look into widening manure application windows by using various tools (crop rotation, cover crops, application equipment, etc.). Speakers: Aaron Augustian, Jacob Brey, Jordan Crave

2022 Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference - Adaptive Rye Management

During this session, our panel of experienced farmers walks through how planting rye fits into their system and the importance of adaptive rye management the following spring. This session presents different scenarios and the panelists share their real-life experiences and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Speakers: Jason Cavadini, Derek Ducat, Rod Webb

2022 Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference - Planting Green

Systematic approaches to establishing covers, planter setups, termination techniques, agronomic concerns when converting from conventional tillage system to cover crop establishment and planting green. This session discusses on-farm trials, new cover crops, and new research being conducted in 2022. Panel consists of two farmers from “Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water,” UW Research Agronomist, and Lower Fox Demonstration Farms Manager. The panel provides valuable planning approaches to consider and lessons learned to ensure success when planting green.

Cropland In-Field Soil Health Assessment Training

This training is designed to provide an introduction to the Cropland In-Field Soil Health Assessment, a tool for inventorying soils and identifying resource concerns related to soil health on croplands (organic matter depletion, compaction, aggregate instability, and soil organism habitat loss/degradation).

Learning how to do the assessment in the field is easy. Interpreting and utilizing the results is the hard part.

Topics Include:

1. Conservation Planning & Soil Health Assessment - Holly Giombi

Tech Talk: Forage Harvest Management (CPS 511)

In this Tech Talk Jeff Duchene (NRCS Grazing Specialist, NW Area) and Morgan Kauth (NRCS Grazing Specialist, SW Area) discuss an overview of Conservation Practice Standard 511 Forage Harvest Management, when and where CPS 511 is applicable, types of forages, harvesting equipment, storing harvested forages, and additional livestock feedstuffs (ie. beet tailings, potato processing biproducts, soybean meal/hulls, grain screenings, and crop residues.)

Long-term Effect of Cover Crops on Soil Health Crop Yield

Tune into this Digital Cafe to hear from Dr. Inderjot Chahal with the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Guelph. Dr. Chalal will discuss the long-term cover crop experiments established at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. The presentation will focus specifically on the benefits and implications of cover crops on increasing soil health indicators and crop yield in the long-term.

Using Legumes to Supply Crop Nitrogen While Also Reaping Benefits for Soil Health

Join to learn how to reduce nitrogen need by incorporating legumes into your rotation. Using leguminous cover crops provides multiple below ground ecosystem services that support crop production, restore/maintain soil health and reduce undesirable environmental consequences. The first part of the presentation will focus on understanding soil ecological processes that enable leguminous cover crops to serve as a nitrogen source for subsequent cash crops. Followed by discussing how leguminous green manures alter nitrogen cycling compared to additions of mineral fertilizers.