Prevented Planting Acres and Cover Crops

 

Challenging weather this spring has farmers considering alternatives to their cropping plans including prevented planting. When faced with prevented planting, consider using cover crops on these acres to avoid further soil degradation and improve soil resiliency. The Michigan State University Extension cover crop team has prepared a fact sheet titled “Cover Crops for Prevented Planting” to provide guidance if you are encountering this situation. You should also consult your Farm Service Agency and crop insurance agent when considering options for prevented planting acres.

 

 

The period following prevented planting provides an opportunity to benefit from cover crops during the remainder of the growing season. Some of these benefits include protection from wind and water erosion, increased soil organic matter, improved soil structure, increased soil permeability, increased water holding capacity, reduced nutrient losses, improved soil biological activity and build up soil nitrogen.

 

Use cover crop resources including the MSU Extension Cover Crop website, Midwest Cover Crop Council (MCCC) website and MCCC Cover Crop Selector Tool when choosing cover crops for prevented planting acres. The MSU Extension cover crop team is available to answer questions you may have about cover crops and their use.

 

Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.