Cover Crop Workshop
Agri-Tech Aviation Airplane Hangar
12871 Geneva St
Indianola, IA 50125
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Warren County Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a cover crop workshop on Wednesday, March 29, from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at Agri-Tech Aviation near Indianola. 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 no-tillage additional benefits include increased water infiltration and reduced erosion during heavy rain events.
This workshop aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops to maintain yields during the transition to a higher residue system of cover crops. Additionally, the workshop offers the opportunity to learn more about cover crops and crop insurance, as well as the economics of soil health.
Meaghan Anderson, Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist, will share cover crop termination recommendations for weed suppression using cover crops, as well as maintaining crop yields.
Ruth Blomquist, SW Iowa NRCS Soil Health Specialist, will discuss the economics of soil health and recommendations for cover crop planting dates.
Pamela Stahlke, director, USDA – Risk Management Agency St. Paul Regional Office, will highlight new updates related to cover crop and crop insurance programs.
A panel of farmers from Warren, Madison, and Clarke County will share how they are using cover crops in their operations, including in 60” corn rows, and how they have addressed the challenges of changing their management.
The workshop will be held at the Agri-Tech Aviation Airplane Hangar 12871 Geneva St, Indianola, IA 50125 and tours of high clearance and airplane cover crop seeders will be available following the program.
The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, though we require reservations to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey and a free airplane farm tour, courtesy of Agri-Tech Aviation, to be scheduled for a later date.
Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.