Cover Crop and Grazing Field Day to Be Held near Dayton April 4

Mar 23, 2023

By Alena Whitaker

Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crop and grazing field day Tuesday, April 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at A.J. and Kellie Blair’s farm near Dayton. The free event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil. When paired with grazing, cover crops add an additional food source for cattle or other animals on the farm.

A.J. and Kellie Blair, Iowa Learning Farms farmer partners, will share their experiences with cover crops and grazing beef cattle. Angie Rieck-Hinz, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will discuss termination of cover crops after grazing and methods to terminate if not grazing. Russ Euken, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will speak about grazing beef on cover crops.

The field day will be held at the Blair Farm, 3531 Paragon Avenue, Dayton. From Dayton, head west on IA-175 then turn right to go north on Paragon Avenue for about 1 mile. The farm is located on the west side of the road and field day signs will mark the driveway to enter.

The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, though reservations are required to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, contact Alena Whitaker at 515-294-2473 or ilf@iastate.edu. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for Iowa State Prairie Strips honey.

Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: Winter Canola Trial in Mississippi | Can It Work for Double Cropping? | Pioneer Agronomy

Can winter canola open new opportunities for growers in the Mid-South? In this agronomy update from Noxubee County, Mississippi, Pioneer agronomist Gus Eifling shares an early look at a first-year winter canola trial and what farmers are learning from the field.

Planted in late October on 30-inch rows, the crop is now entering the bloom stage and progressing quickly. In this video, we walk through current field conditions, fertility management, and how timing could make this crop a valuable option for double-cropping soybeans or cotton.

If harvest timing lines up with early May, growers may be able to transition directly into another crop during ideal planting windows. Ongoing field trials will help determine whether canola could become a viable rotational option for the region.

Watch for:

How winter canola is performing in its first season in this Mississippi field

Why growers chose 30-inch rows for this trial

What the crop looks like as it moves from bolting into bloom

Fertility strategy, including nitrogen and sulfur applications

How canola harvest timing could enable double-cropping with soybeans or cotton

Upcoming trials comparing soybeans after canola vs. traditional planting

As more growers look for ways to maximize acres and diversify rotations, experiments like this help determine what new crops might fit into existing systems.