EAST LANSING, Mich. — Cover cropping in any agricultural system works to increase soil health, slow erosion, enhance water quality and availability, smother weeds and increase beneficial insects. Depending on the cash crop, management style and cover crop variety, these outcomes can be very different. Those with years of experience and those just starting off can run into some challenges that can result in some innovative solutions.
Every year, the Midwest Cover Crops Council has an annual business meeting followed by a one-day conference for farmers, researchers, educators, agency personnel, non-governmental organizations and agribusinesses to learn from one another about the latest information in successful cover cropping. The meeting and conference rotates around the Midwest and returns to Michigan for the first time since 2006, and is being hosted by Michigan State University Extension. The 2017 Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Meeting will be held March 14-15, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza, 5700 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546.Event details are available on the conference flier.
The theme for the 2017 Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Meeting is “Making Cover Crops Work – Experiences from the Field.” In addition to joint sessions on cover crop termination and interseeding of cover crops, three concurrent sessions on cover crop use in field crop, vegetable crop and forage/grazing systems will feature teams of a researcher or educator and farmers presenting their experiences from the field. CCA and RUP credits are pending. Posters will be displayed detailing cover crop information from around the region. Exhibitors providing cover crop and other agricultural related services will be present.
Early registration for the conference is $85 per person and pre-registration is required through Jan. 31. The registration price will increase after Jan. 31. Register online at 2017 Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Meeting.
The Midwest Cover Crop Council’s goal is to facilitate widespread adoption of cover crops throughout the Midwest and improve ecological, economic and social sustainability. The Midwest Cover Crop Council defines cover crops as plants seeded into agricultural fields, either within or outside of the regular growing season, with the primary purpose of improving or maintaining ecosystem quality. States/provinces represented in the Midwest Cover Crop Council are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Ontario, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
For more information on the conference, contact anyone on the MSU Extension cover crops team including Dean Baas, baasdean@msu.edu, 269-967-9672; Paul Gross, grossp@anr.msu.edu, 989-317-4079; Christina Curell, curellc@anr.msu.edu, 231-745-2732; Marilyn Thelen, thelen22@anr.msu.edu, 989-227-6454; Erin Hill, hiller12@msu.edu, 517-353-0467; or Sarah Lovett Hanks, lovettsa@anr.msu.edu.
This material is based upon work supported by the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture award number(s) 2014-70006-22498.
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