Understanding the nutrient content of cover crops can be challenging because it depends on many different factors. Grasping everything that could affect the nutrient value of cover crops can be like trying to drink from a fire hose, says Jim Hoorman, but there are ways to simplify and understand how to determine what nutrients cover crops deliver to cash crops.

Mick Goedeken’s resume as a soil scientist and consultant is almost as long as the list of strip-tillers he’s helped improve over the years.

Jill Clapperton, principal scientist with Rhizoterra Inc. in Reardan, Wash., compares and examines the soil and root structure of several root balls from different states and field conditions.