Cover Crop Resources
Blogs, Webinars and Podcasts
Blogs & Fact Sheets
Podcasts & Videos
Economics
Profitability
Demonstration Plot
2023 Insights
Cover Crop Blogs
Cover Crop Lease Insertion
Use this sample cover crop lease insertion to work with your farm operator and/or farm manager to incorporate cover crops into your lease.
Cover Crop Economics
What decisions does a Farmer consider to determine whether to invest in Cover Crops? Read for the pros and cons.
Fall 2023 Cover Crop Insights
We surveyed farmers who used cover crops this past year in Polk County and compiled the general consensus for you!
Grazing Cover Crops – ISU Extension and Outreach
How to get cover crops to work for you and your livestock operation. Article written by ISU extension.
Cover crop fact sheets
Iowa NRCS and ISU Extension has worked on a collaborative project to develop Cover Crop Fact Sheets. There are currently fact sheets for 25 different species, with more in development! These are a great resource for anyone starting their cover crop journey, or someone looking to change things up.
The cover crop fact sheets can be found at this link: Cover Crop Facts Sheets
Thousands of Iowa farmers plant cover crops annually to help reduce soil erosion, increase soil organic matter, suppress weeds, minimize soil compaction, scavenge excess nutrients, or provide supplemental livestock grazing. A large percentage of Iowa farmers use cereal rye, oats, wheat, radishes and turnips. However, there are many other cover crop options available.
Each fact sheet includes sections on: Identifying Features, Cultural Traits, Planting Information, Performance Ratings, and pictures that highlight various features and growth patterns.
Podcasts & Videos
Cover Crop Demonstration Plot
Polk SWCD hosts a 5-acre cover crop demonstration plot in Central Polk County, for educational purposes. We grow varieties of Cover Crops and provide educational materials about each crop. Please feel free to come check it out at 16049-16507 NE 42nd Street Cambridge, IA 50046
Click here to learn more about the cover crop demonstration plot.
Erosion, Soil Balance, and Cover Crops
This podcast is a discussion between Steve Groff and John Kempf about important management tools to incorporate with cover crops, soil erosion, and how producers play a part in supplying nutrient rich crops.
Click here to listen.
Erosion, Soil Balance, and Cover Crops
This podcast is a discussion between Steve Groff and John Kempf about important management tools to incorporate with cover crops, soil erosion, and how producers play a part in supplying nutrient rich crops.
Click here to listen.
4 Alternative Cover Crops To Try On Your Farm With Rob Myers
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, listen to Rob Myers, director of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture at the University of Missouri, as he discusses 4 alternative cover crops and how to manage each one. Myers talks about buckwheat, millet, canola and sunflowers. Click here to listen.
How Cover Crops Help Soil Hold Water During Drought
In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, brought to you by SOURCE® from Sound Agriculture, listen to a presentation from the Soil Management Summit in Alexandria, Minn., that features Anna Cates, state soil health specialist at the University of Minnesota Extension, and Minnesota no-tiller Tom Pyfferoen, as they discuss how cover crops can help combat drought and what Tom has learned from his on-farm cover crop trials. Click here to listen.
The Soil Health Podcast from Menoken Farm Episode 010 - Interview with Chris Teachout
Chris Teachout a 5th generation farmer from Iowa talks with us about his operation, cover crops and soil health. Click here to listen.
The goal of Polk SWCD is to protect water quality and conserve soil resources in Iowa.
To provide leadership that helps people improve, conserve, and sustain our natural resources while educating them on the importance and practicality of maintaining our environment and quality of life.
Quick Links
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