Cover Crops

Corn crops have a voracious appetite for nitrogen.

Cattle and sheep graze on permanent pasture, cover crops and crop residue on Pasture Grazed Regenerative Farm in northern Illinois.

The legacy of Mike Plumer’s soil conservation work continues to live on through those he taught.

Cade Bushnell received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management program.

A public hearing for a proposed wheat checkoff was held at the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The proposal calls for a 1.5-cent checkoff per bushel of wheat sold in Illinois.

A warm, dry fall gave the Rahn family the opportunity to finish harvest early and rain showers over the past several weeks improved the conditions for fall work.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service unveiled a new easement option that offers long-term protection of the land and ensures timely transfer of ownership to qualified producers.

Illinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a statewide funding opportunity for the Conservation Stewardship Program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Illinois soybean farmers will now have additional assistance with evaluating field data to better implement practices that benefit the environment.

The goal of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition is to help support livestock producers in building profitable, sustainable grazing operations.

Fall is a great time to enjoy the fruits of our labor as farmers and to remind us of our many blessings as we approach Thanksgiving. Be sure to give proper thanks to the author of those blessings.

Jim Fulton heard concerns about nitrogen leaving cropland and related water quality problems and decided to do something about it after hearing about constructed wetlands.

Soybean farmers have benefited from decades of checkoff-funded research that’s pushed yields, and now a program is taking those efforts to the next level.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition announced the continuation of its free Pasture Walk series for livestock producers, with upcoming fall dates planned across the state.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.5 billion investment for 92 partner-driven conservation projects, including one in Illinois and Indiana, through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

Ron Dykstra knew from a very young age that he wanted to farm.

With his eight-year commitment to the Army National Guard, Chuck Hanley was able to juggle his agriculture careers with his service.

Examples of typical and not-so-common cover crops used in corn and soybean rotations were featured in a recent plot tour on the Farm Progress Show grounds.

Participation in the Precision Conservation Management program continues to grow and farmers can still sign up for the 2024 crop year, as well as 2025.

Farmers and ranchers are leading the way in climate-smart practices that reduce emissions, enrich the soil and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before.

The timely planting of cover crops for maximum biomass has typically been limited to post-harvest or aerial inter-seeding, followed by the hope of rain for stand establishment.

Harvest is on pace for the Rahn family to finish earlier in 2024 than they have in many years.

With the current crises we face on all fronts, foreign and domestic, we need a strong leader and God’s help to get us through.

The focus at Schoepp Farms LLC is to keep soil and nutrients on the land.

Between harvest and preparing for the state corn-husking competition, From the Fields contributor Clay Geyer has a busy October ahead of him.

Will we someday return to a more diversified Midwest agriculture economy incorporating livestock into row crop operations?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands.

Over its 50-year history, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance’s causes may have shifted, but it has never lost its focus on advocating for local farmers and communities.

Kyle Schminke deep tills all his farm ground. However, it is not done with a tractor and tillage equipment.

Well, it’s dry again and we really could use a good soaking rain. The grass pastures had been growing nice up to about two weeks ago when they started feeling the effects of no rain.

We’ve gone more than a month now without any rain and none in our forecast, so the pastures are thirsty. In spite of that, the cover crops on our wheat stubble are looking surprisingly well.

Beef production spans generations in the Hanson and Kuipers family in Iroquois County where they operate a forage-based program utilizing a paddock grazing system along with growing corn, soybeans and wheat.

Rain at the end of August was good timing for the double-crop soybeans growing in northern Illinois.

Working one-on-one with farmers and seeing positive changes across the landscape is what drives Aidan Walton. Walton has served farmers as a Precision Conservation Management specialist since 2021.

As harvest season approaches in northern Indiana, farmers like Clay Geyer are preparing their equipment and fields for the crucial months ahead.

Richard Lyons of Harvel is the recipient of the 2024 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award.

A Natural Resources Conservation Service display brought the field to the Illinois State Fair. The tabletop display demonstrated the interaction between water and soils with different characteristics and management practices.

An agricultural production system that integrates crops and livestock into a single interconnected practice in one field was the top yielder in Precision Technology Institute’s trials last year.

I hope you readers saw the recent AgriNews article on sheep grazing under solar farms. Land stays in production while generating electricity for the grid and cash for shepherds while saving on mowing and spraying costs.

Indiana has one of the smallest state agriculture departments in the nation — and Don Lamb would not have it any other way.

The Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District will host a summer farm tour Tuesday, Aug. 27.

For the third year in a row, Hoosier farmers broke a record for the number of conservation practices in the state, according to the Conservation Tillage Transect survey.

As soon as the large mahogany door in the congressional building was opened, the farmers were greeted with hellos and handshakes. “Do you want some Indiana popcorn?” the staff in Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Pence’s office proudly asked.

Wet and hot conditions in northern Illinois are impacting crop growth, as well as providing an opportunity for increased disease pressure this year.

American Farmland Trust and ADM are launching the next season of a program that supports Illinois farmers and the environment.

Nine years of data analysis from Illinois farms found the most profitable acres were one-pass light tillage for corn and no-till soybeans.

What would you do if you had $330,000 to spend on anything you wanted? That is the amount of money his family’s medium-sized farm in southwest Iowa has lost to soybean cyst nematodes over the last 10 years, said Scott Kay.

Berkeley Boehne and his brother, Vaughn, raise corn, soybeans and wheat on their DeKalb County farm, where they also feed pigs and operate a custom manure application business.

Organic farming can support soil microorganisms that promote plant defenses and reduce insect pests. But not all organic practices are equally beneficial.

My last article had just been sent off when I got word that my good friend, Jamie Willrett, had left suddenly to be with the Lord. This tragic news shook me and the rest of the cattle industry as we all lost a trusted friend and leader.