With this 16-page, newly-released edition of Cover Crop Strategies, you’ll discover how many graziers realize profitable returns from using cover as high- quality forage. Read how cover crop rotation paired with a grazing system completes a no-tiller’s holy grail of soil health. You’ll also hear from the late cover crop expert Dave Brandt as he discusses his best practices for getting the most out of cover crops.

This special report was put together to help farmers understand soil fertility and the connection with crop yields. From Neal Kinsey’s explanation of how to nurture soils so they become a thriving, productive system to the importance of sulfur to identifying nutrient imbalances on real-life soil tests, the topics covered illuminate today’s generally accepted understanding of soil fertility.                     

This special package gives you 3 reports geared toward helping you zero in on ways to get the best return on your investment. Learn how and when to apply what your crops need, ways to incorporate micronutrients to increase yields and the latest advice and evidence from leading researchers and no-tillers. Valued at $44.85.

Keeping plants healthy throughout the growing season is critical to a successful corn crop. But understanding and satisfying early season nutrient needs can help strip-tillers set the stage for a bumper crop. Jerry Hatfield, supervisory plant physiologist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), has done extensive research on the interactions within the soil-plant-atmosphere spectrum and their connection to air, water and soil quality. Hatfield will discuss recent research that looks at the correlation between early-season nutrient applications on plant health in strip-tilled corn and its impact on yields.

Proper placement of fertilizer in strip-till is a key factor to optimize your yields and minimize environmental impact. But in practice, the right placement is continually evolving, and can be impacted by planting technology, tillage system and weather variability. Recent research by Kansas State University soil fertility specialist Dorivar Ruiz Diaz compared placement of phosphorus in strip-till with other tillage systems to track uptake, carryover and loss. Diaz will share the results of a recently concluded 10-year university study on phosphorus application on corn after soybeans in different tillage systems and analyze key takeaways for strip-tillers from the study.

Building a sustainable strip-till system and strengthening soil structure are cornerstones of Tim Smith’s corn and soybean operation in Eagle Grove, Iowa. A commitment to the NRCS’s Mississippi River Basin Initiative (MRBI) has helped Smith limit erosion, reduce fertilizer application costs and increase equipment and fuel efficiency. “The biggest return with strip-till is greatly reduced soil loss,” he says. “My soil holds up better in adverse conditions by having more residue on top to preserve structure.” Smith will share how the addition of cover crops, refinements to his nutrient management practices and the introduction of a bioreactor have contributed to a comprehensive strip-tilling strategy.

Farming 1,800 acres in Tekonsha, Mich., strip-tiller Ryan Groholske is accustomed to navigating rocky — though fertile — ground with rewarding results. Having increased strip-tilled corn yields by as much as 50 bushels per acre in some areas through intensive fertilizer experimentation, Groholske has had success applying similar strategies to increase soybean production and profitability. “With strip-till, I have a raised berm, so the plants are higher than the rest of the ground, especially on top of that corn stubble, so we’re able to harvest the plants a little bit lower,” he says. Groholske will relate his strip-tilled soybean success to his overall farm management system that includes banded nutrient applications and extensive fertilizer application analysis.