“Transitioning from conventional to cover crop systems with minimum tillage does not alter nutrient loading” with Drs. Joby Czarnecki and Beth Baker of Mississippi State University

Cover crops are often lauded as agricultural heroes boasting of a variety of ecosystems services and benefits to farmers and the world. But are these crops always the best option and do they always provide benefits wherever they go? In this episode, Joby and Beth join us for a more nuanced look at the benefits of cover crops and how research can make sure farmers are really applying the best strategies for their farms.

Tune in to learn:

·        Which environmental factors can undercut conservation practices

·        What trade-offs can exist when adding cover crops to an optimized system

·        How cover crops affected water quality in the study

·        What factors farmers should consider when introducing cover crops

If you would like more information about this topic, this episode’s paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20388

This paper is always freely available.

Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don’t forget to subscribe. If you’d like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.

If you would like to reach out to Joby, you can find her here: [email protected] Personal Twitter: https://twitter.com/jobyprince Research Unit Twitter: https://twitter.com/HPC2MSU

If you would like to reach out to Beth, you can find her here: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/REACH_msstate

If you would like to reach out to Agustin Olivo from our Student Spotlight, you can find him here: [email protected] Twitter: https://twitter.com/AgustinOlivo_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agust%C3%ADn-olivo-350b95159/

Resources

CEU Quiz: https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning-Center/Courses/Course-Detail?productid=%7bED2442D3-4B0C-EE11-8F6E-000D3A3236E0%7d 

Transcripts:  https://www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/BDo43CKkr0IJJ2d7XyWdMM7aZNBqCoc0atp6qF30Fe_rRAPZ0ZNPwxisg9q-M0qryh2pfs8RQI3bNB_wCGn185E9R8I?loadFrom=SharedLink 

Mississippi State University Extension: https://www.reach.msstate.edu/

NRCS: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/

SARE: https://www.sare.org/resources/cover-crops/

Southern Cover Crops Council: https://southerncovercrops.org/

Midwestern Cover Crops Council: https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/

Good Idea Farm: https://goodideafarm.org/

Sponsored by METER Group. METER sensors deliver real-time, plant, soil, and atmospheric data that fuels environmental research. Listen to METER Group’s new podcast We Measure the World to hear how innovative researchers leverage environmental data to make our world a better—and more sustainable—place at metergroup.com/fieldlabearth

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