Recent News
Midwest Cover Crop Council and NRCS Discuss Cover Crop Tools and Considerations
On the Illinois Cover Crop On-Farm Network's (ICCON) March call, ICCON was joined by Anna Morrow of the Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC) and Brett Roberts, IL State Agronomist with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The pair discussed the collaboration between the MCCC and NRCS and how that work has led to cover crop species and rate recommendations for farmers...
Saddle Butte Discusses Cover Crop Techniques and Takeaways
On February 12th Illinois Cover Crop On-Farm Network was joined by TJ Kartes of Saddle Butte Ag. TJ is a seed sales representative who covers southern Minnesota, Iowa, and parts of Illinois and Missouri. TJ discussed trends he has observed with customers who are having considerable success with cover cropping and shared basic cover crop recipes and strategies that are...
Cover Crop Toolbox: ICCON Features STAR Tool
On January 8, 2025 ICCON was joined by Natalie Kerr, STAR Coordinator for the state of Illinois, to learn about the STAR program and how and why farmers should consider enrolling their fields in the program. Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) was founded in 2017 by Steve Stierwalt and Joe Rothermel – both farmers from Champaign County, advocates for conservation,...
Cover Crop Toolbox: ICCON Features SmartMix Calculator
On December 11, 2024 ICCON welcomed Keith Berns, Co-owner and Sales Marketing Manager of Green Cover Seeds based in Bladen, NE. Keith shared the SmartMix Calculator, a unique and user-friendly tool which helps farmers and farm advisors develop cover crop seed mixes. Keith says the best way to bring additional diversity to a corn/soybean or corn/soybean/wheat rotation is to have...
ICCON Call Features ISAP’s FIND Tool
On November 13, 2024 ICCON welcomed Jean Brokish, Deputy Director of the Midwest Region at American Farmland Trust, to present on the Financial INcentives Database tool – The FIND tool created by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership. The tool was created to address the complexity of identifying financial incentives available to farmers for implementing a wide range of practices. Many...
Insect Biodiversity: Insights from Christine Elliot on ICCON’s Monthly Webinar
On September 11, 2024, ICCON was joined by Christine Elliot, PhD candidate in the insect ecology laboratory at Purdue University. Christine led the group through a discussion on the importance of insect populations to the agriculture industry focusing on three points – Why should we conserve insect biodiversity in agroecosystems? How to conserve insect biodiversity What insect conservation can look...