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Midwest Cover Crops Council Serves as Resource Hub for Cover Crop Enthusiasts
Last week, the Illinois Cover Crop On-Farm Network (ICCON) was joined by Anna Morrow, program manager with the Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC). The MCCC facilitates the widespread adoption of cover crops across 12 midwestern states and the province of Ontario by developing resources, building a network of professionals, and contributing to regional publications. Morrow provided an overview of the …
Read MoreCover Crop Dos and Don’ts – Lessons Learned About Cover Crops, Corn Growth, Diseases and Pests
The field day, hosted by Iowa Learning Farms, will explore the potential benefits and impacts of planting corn into a living winter cereal rye cover crop. While the field day will primarily focus on the Iowa trial, the research project has replicated sites located in 15 states across the country. Building on existing research trials, the team is examining different …
Read MoreIllinois Monarch Project – Summit Events
Basic Illinois Location (Online)Monarch Summit We’re going virtual! Join us for a series of virtual engagement events to launch the implementation phase of the Illinois Monarch Action Plan. About the Illinois Monarch Project: Over the past 20 years, the eastern monarch population has faced a significant decline in migratory habitat. The Illinois Monarch Project collaborates with public and private partners, in addition to …
Read MoreFarmers Farming with Insects
Basic Illinois Location (Online)When it comes to insects, farming is often done from an “Us vs. Them” mentality. But emerging alternatives are agriculturally productive, creative, and friendly to insect life on which so much other life depends. Hear from two innovative row crop farmers – one from Iowa (Paul Mugge) and one from Montana (Anna Jones-Crabtree) – using life-friendly farming practices. You’ll learn …
Read MorePrairie Strips Benefit Pollinators and Farmers
Basic Illinois Location (Online)Thanks in part to Iowa State University’s ten years of research, the USDA recently added the prairie strips practice to the Conservation Reserve Program. Three of Iowa State’s STRIPS (Science Based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips) team members will share how this practice can improve the abundance, diversity and productivity of pollinators while providing other valuable benefits to …
Read MoreCover Crops for Soil Health and Insect Life
Basic Illinois Location (Online)Mike Bredeson of the Ecdysis Foundation will share how using cover crops to increase plant diversity within cropland, particularly corn, results in a completely changed and much more diverse insect community. The paraphrase is true – if you plant them (cover crops), insects will come. You will also learn how you must consider the impact of neonicitinoid insecticides in your …
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