The Conservation Learning Group, a think tank dedicated to addressing conservation and environmental challenges, will partner with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach at the Farm Progress Show to highlight educational outreach about the benefits of no-till, and cover crops in the soybean year of the corn-soybean rotation. The campaign will launch during the show, which is being held Aug. 28-30, 2018 in Boone, in central Iowa. The campaign will continue throughout the following year.

The new campaign publicizes the results of long-term no-till and cover crop studies conducted by ISU faculty, the Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa. Farmers are encouraged to join in the campaign on Twitter by sharing their own results and experiences using the #CoverYourBeans and #NoTillb4Beans hashtags.

No-till delivers 17% increase in profitability
According to Mark Licht, an assistant professor in the ISU Department of Agronomy and an Extension cropping systems specialist, “No-till delivers 17% increases in profitability. Planting cereal rye ahead of soybeans alone would result in approximately 10 million acres of cover crops each year. This would be a game-changer for reduction of nutrients being lost from Iowa fields. We’re very excited to share the facts of more profit and yield while reducing runoff and erosion with the global farming community who attend this show.”

The purpose of the campaign is to encourage more farmers to take advantage of these two methods, which have proven to make progress towards the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals and help improve water quality statewide, while protecting and building soil. As noted in the 2017 Iowa Learning Farms Annual Evaluation Report, some 750,000 acres in Iowa were planted with cover crops in 2017, representing a continuing uptick in use of cover crops.

CLG is a collaborative team established to advance training, outreach and research across land uses and production systems to increase overall sustainability of agricultural and natural systems for multiple generations to come. CLG draws on experts in various disciplines to deliver engaging science-based outreach to farmers, ag advisers, landowners, decision-makers, youth and communities.

To learn more about Conservation Learning Group and its outreach and education programs, visit conservationlearninggroup.org.

Source: Iowa State University