FARGO, N.D. — Learning about the benefits of cover crops and how they can be used as part of an interseeding system will be the focus of a North Dakota State University Extension Service field day on Sept. 26.
The half day of educational sessions and field visits will be at the NDSU campus research plots at the corner of 15th Avenue North and 18th Street North in Fargo. The sessions begin at 8 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m.
The field day will feature information about 32 different cover crop species and how they can fit into a farming operation. In addition, a soybean research plot interseeded with cover crops will be showcased. At a third station, the effect of cover crops on soil health will be discussed.
Participants also will visit by bus the field research and demonstration plots near Hickson. Stops include cover crop interseeded corn fields, and a research site investigating the effect of cover crops on soil health and fertility when interseeded in corn.
“I have worked with interseeding camelina and rye in corn during the past two summers,” says Missy Geiszler, a graduate student in NDSU’s Plant Sciences Department and one of the field day’s speakers. “Seeding these cover crops with corn is still a relatively new concept in North Dakota.”
Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension agronomist and presenter adds, “After soybean harvest there is not much residue left to protect the soil. Seeding cover crops at the end of the soybean growing season might be an option to protect the soil. Our research is investigating the opportunities and challenges.”
Participants in the field day will have the opportunity to learn about cover crop research findings as well as interact with other participants who already have experience in incorporating cover crops into their farm operations.
Lunch is provided. Registration is required and will be capped at 100 participants.
To register online go to http://bit.ly/CoverCropsRegistration. For more information on the field day visit https://www.ndsu.edu/soilhealth/.
This field day is part of the outreach effort associated with a professional development grant from the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education programs and a grant the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded to North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station scientists.
The research aims to study how cover crops can increase the resiliency and productivity of crops such as corn and soybeans, and improve soil health and land-use efficiency.
— NDSU Agriculture Communication
For more news from North Dakota, click here.