GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The 2017 Midwest Cover Crops Council Conference: Making Cover Crops Work – Experiences from the Field will be March 15, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza, 5700 28th St, Grand Rapids, MI 49546. This conference brings in speakers from the Midwest and Ontario to present practical knowledge for the successful use of cover crops.
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. Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) continuing education units (CEUs) in integrated pest management (IPM), crop management and nutrient management are available through these sessions. Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credits are pending. Presenters, topics and CCA CEUs are in the table below.
| Joint sessions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dale Shaner, Retired USDA-ARS—University of Colorado, Cover Crop Termination: Considerations when selecting herbicides and the potential for resistance CCA CEUs: 1.0 IPM |
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| Karen Renner – Michigan State University, Marisol Berti – ND State University & Douglas Toussaint – ND Farmer, Interseeding Cover Crops into Field Crops Systems: Geography makes a Difference CCA CEUs: 1.0 Crop Mgmt |
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| Concurrent sessions | ||
| Track 1 Field Crops |
Track 2 Vegetable Crops |
Track 3 Forage/Grazing |
| Nathan Johanning /Adam Dahmer (IL), Challenges and successes of no-till and cover crops in southern Illinois CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
Ben Phillips/Mike Yancho Jr. (MI), I can’t believe it’s not butternut on plastic! Year two rye cover and fertility CCA CEUs: 0.5 Nutr Mgmt |
Mike Buis (ON), Lessons from over 10 years of grazing cover crops in beef production CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
| Anita Dille/Josh Lloyd (KS), Use of cover crops for weed suppression in field crops in Kansas CCA CEUs: 0.5 IPM |
Ajay Nair/Wade Dooley (IA), Cover crops and conservation tillage in organic broccoli, peppers and squash CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
Rachel Martin/Jon Nelson (MI), Cover crops & forage-finished beef: A 3-year study of forage quality CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
| F. Warner/G. Bird/M. Sylvester (MI), Interactions between cover crops and nematodes in diverse Michigan field crops CCA CEUs: 0.5 IPM |
Laura Van Eerd (ONT), Long-term cover cropping in convent-ional vegetable. Soil health & tilling CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
Kevin Shelley (WI), Winter rye cover crop and forage comparison in Wisconsin–five-year results CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
| Lisa Holscher/Jamie Scott (IN), How Indiana moved from 184,000 acres of cover crops to 1.1 million in 5 years CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
Nathan Johanning (IL), Experiences with cover crops and no-till vegetables production in southern Illinois CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
Richard Ehrhardt (MI), Grazing cover crops and small ruminants CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
| Bill Deen (ON), Long-term experiment in diversity and cover crops n corn-soy-wheat rotation CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
Dan Brainard/Ben Werling /Ralph Ooman (MI), Mustard family cover crops pest management in vegetables CCA CEUs: 0.5 IPM |
Jerry Lindquist/Chris Harrington (MI), Grazing multi-species cover crops with beef cattle CCA CEUs: 0.5 Crop Mgmt |
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 agencies and agribusinesses to learn from one another about the latest information in successful cover cropping. Posters will be displayed detailing cover crop information from around the region. Exhibitors providing cover crop and other agriculture-related services will be present.
There is still time to take advantage of the early registration price for the conference of $85 per person. The registration price will increase to $100 per person after Jan. 31. Registration can be found at 2017 Midwest Cover Crop Council Annual Meeting. You can also download the conference brochure for more information.
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 Crops 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. The following states/provinces are represented in the Midwest Cover Crops Council: 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 Michigan State University 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.
