There are many benefits to using cover crops, such as improved soil health and reduced erosion. It’s the details of how and what to do that can present challenges. The Nebraska Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference will provide information to growers who are just getting started with cover crops and to those who are already making cover crops part of their operation.

The conference will take place from 1 to 4:30 p.m. CST  Feb. 11, with check in at 12:30 p.m. The conference will be webcasted from the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead to other locations. In-person attendance is not available at ENREC because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Registrants can take part online or attend at the following locations with limited seating:

On the agenda

Topics and the agenda include:

1 to 1:25 p.m. Optimizing your cover crop ROI, by Rebecca Clay, strategic initiatives agronomy coordinator, Practical Farmers of Iowa.

1:25 to 1:45 p.m. Experiences and economics using cereal rye as a cover crop, by Chad Bell.

1:55 to 2:20 p.m. Using aerial imagery to determine cover crop impacts on cash crop growth and development, by Andrea Basche, UNL assistant professor, agronomy and horticulture.

2:20 to 2:45 p.m. Soil sensing and soil health, by Kristen Veum, research soil scientist at USDA-ARS cropping systems and water quality research unit, University of Missouri.

2:55 to 3:40 p.m. Pathway toward healthy and resilient soil to achieve optimum productivity and environmental quality, with cover crops as the key, by Jerry Hatfield, retired director of National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment.

3:40 to 4 p.m. On-farm research of incorporating cover crops into a three-crop dryland rotation, by Ken Herz, owner and operator of Herz Land and Cattle.

4 to 4:20 p.m. Speaker panel and question-and-answer period.

Registration and details are available at enrec.unl.edu. There is no fee to attend, but early registration is required. Day-of, walk-in registration will not be permitted.

Early registration is encouraged as capacity limitations are in place at each location. Once a location is full, it will no longer be listed as a registration option.

In-person meetings will only be held if local and University of Nebraska-Lincoln directed health measures allow, and if road conditions are suitable for travel. If a site is canceled, registrants will be notified via email, phone or text message.

Facial coverings or mask guidelines may vary based on local directed health measures. For information about the COVID-19-related health measures that will be in place at the meeting of your choosing, contact the local site host. Certified crop adviser credits are applied for and pending. 

The conference is sponsored by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Soybean Board. For more information, email [email protected] or call 402-367-7410.

Source: Nebraska Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.