PESOTUM, Ill. (WCIA) — Senator Dick Durbin is advocating for more programs that will give farmers an incentive to start planting cover crops. It’s a push for more conservation programs that’ll ...

What better way to learn about cover crops than from someone already growing them? University of Illinois Extension is offering farmers, producers, landowners, and industry professionals a chance to ...

Farmers used to plant "cover crops" to rejuvenate fields in the off season. As those were replaced with chemicals, the soil of America's farms suffered. Bringing back the old practice has surprising ...

Cover Crop Conversations: Farmer-to-Farmer Insights Across Illinois is back for another exclusive session with questions and ...

Sarah Carlson has been called the Johnny Appleseed of cover crops. Hearing that comparison makes her smile and say, “I’ll take that.” In her role as senior programs and member engagement director at ...

Cereal-rye cover crops are known for their tremendous ability to scavenge from the soil two of the most important resources for plants – moisture and nutrients, namely nitrogen. That's good, says the ...

Aaron Lehman is the president of the Iowa Farmers Union and is a fifth-generation farmer from central Iowa. Iowa is a nationwide leader in a conservation practice known as cover cropping. For nearly a ...

Legume cover crops were effective only during the early season with a 47 percent reduction, while brassicas did not affect pigweed density. Cover crop residues remaining on the soil surface were more ...

A combine harvests corn, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at a farm near Allerton, Ill. Cover crops top the list of tasks U.S. farmers are told will build healthy soil, help the environment and fight climate ...

Farmers usually plant so-called cover crops after harvesting their main crop in the Fall. This prevents erosion of the soil and nutrient leaching. The roots of these crops also stabilize the structure ...

Farmers growing overwintering cover crops this 2025-2026 season are invited to join the Great Lakes Cover Crop Project, a multi-state partnership that includes University of Minnesota Extension and th ...

Cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil to keep it in place and improve soil health. They can be intercropped with other crops or planted after harvesting. The crops are mainly grown ...