Fall cover crops, such as clover, turnips and peas, can provide nutrient-rich winter forage and help lure hungry deer away from hay and other stored livestock feed.

For the second year, a national survey of farmers has documented a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans, as well as a wide variety of other benefits. The survey also details the challenges and benefits farmers expect from cover crops, data on the costs of seed and establishment, and insight into how farmers learn to manage covers.

Cresco, Iowa, strip-tiller Frank Moore shares his experience incorporating cover crops into his 2,000 acre operation. With changing weather patterns and more "event storms", that can erode soil structure, Moore's goal with cover crops in strip-till is to establish the crop in winter and have it help control spring rainfall through an established root system to hold soil in place.

Now is the time to think about controlling summer annual weeds prior to seed set in cropping situations where this is possible.

During this webinar, Pierceton, Ind., no-tiller Jamie Scott shares his experiences and best suggestions for planting varying blends of cover-crop seeds based on your strategies and objectives. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]

Dr. Tracy Blackmer, Director of Research for Cover Crop Solutions, provides a basic understanding of the nutrient benefits provided by various species of cover crops and how no-tillers can properly utilize those cover crops to reduce their levels of applied fertilizer. [To view any of our webinar replays, you must be logged in with a free user account.]

Cereal rye cover crops added to a corn-soybean rotation seem to have little negative effect on yield, according to a five-year study conducted by Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Check out the latest cover crop seeds offerings from some of the industry's leading suppliers.

Planting cereal rye as a cover crop provides numerous short- and long-term agronomic and environmental benefits. Although inconsistent, under certain situations the yield of corn planted into the residue of a rye cover crop may be reduced.

LaPorte City, Iowa, farmer Dean Fehl shares his 'keep it simple' strategy for developing a successful strip-till operation, which has contributed to a double-digit increase in corn yield and helped solve some of the challenges he faced no-tilling corn into soybean stubble.