By Katja Koehler-Cole and David Wangila et.al
This summer, organic farmers across Nebraska invited fellow producers and the public onto their farms for field days.
The first field day drew 30 attendees Aug. 7 to the Schuchardt farm near Elgin in northeast Nebraska. Rick and Jane Schuchardt operate the farm with their son, Philip, and grow organically certified corn, soybean, oats and alfalfa. They plant cereal rye as a cover crop after corn, which is terminated with moldboard plowing.
To improve soil structure and reduce tillage, the Schuchardts experimented with roller crimping in 2026. What was supposed to be a 1-acre roller-crimping test plot ended up being about half of the 40-acre field, while cereal rye in the other half of the field was terminated using the plow. Field day attendees noted considerably fewer weeds in the soybean growing in the roller-crimped field compared to soybean growing in the tilled field.
The group also saw the Schuchardts’ corn and alfalfa fields before having lunch in their beautifully restored wooden barn and ending the field day with lively conversation and new connections.
On Aug. 12, 24 farmers and community members gathered at Hintz Produce Farm in south-central Nebraska near Hebron for an engaging evening field tour focused on diversified and organic farming. The tour offered participants a firsthand look at a farm producing vegetables, grain, alfalfa, eggs and meat while transitioning nearly 70 acres to organic production.
Source : unl.edu