Dean Sponheim, Osage, has been crisscrossing north central Iowa and southern Minnesota counties throughout the winter, presenting informational meetings on the use of cover crops and strip-till ...

Learn the difference between harmful and beneficial pests to help boost soil biology in conservation cropping systems.

Left: examples of cover crops with radishes, oats, and buckwheat. Right: strip-till with soybeans growing in a cereal rye cover. (Photos from Chase Brown) After the deadly I-55 dirt storm, an Illinois ...

More farmers are showing interest in and using an approach called bio strip-till, where specific cover crops are planted in individual strips after the harvest of an early season crop. Goals for using ...

Everybody seems to be talking about cover crops. Rightfully so because, managed correctly, they can provide environmental benefits. Higher yield? Well, maybe, but probably not, at least in the near ...

With the ongoing debate of tillage versus soil conservation methods, farmers have had to weigh whether they’d rather achieve a higher yield or practice good land management. However, according to a ...

DES MOINES — Funds are available for Iowa farmers to help install practices focused on protecting water quality. Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – When it comes to preparing a field for planting, farmers usually fall into one of two camps: those who till it all, and those who leave it all untilled. There is a middle ground ...

HUNTINGTON TWP. – Andy Zagata has been farming for decades, so he was apprehensive about changing the way he works the land. An incentive program from the Luzerne Conservation District convinced the ...

A new study of 30 geographically diverse farms suggests growers who consistently employ soil health management practices such as cover crops and reduced tillage can spend less on inputs and make more ...

You could call Dean Sponheim an accidental conservationist. Well, at least initially, anyway. In 1999, Sponheim was frustrated that every year he had to replant a big chunk of a field that wasn't well ...

BAY CITY, MI - A shot of federal funding is being funneled towards areas surrounding the Saginaw Bay to promote more environmentally friendly farming practices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture ...