2021 Eastern Nebraska Soil Health Conference Presentations

2021 recorded presentations - Eastern Nebraska Soil Health Conference

The 2021 conference was webcasted from the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center (ENREC) near Mead, NE and other locations. Registrants participated online or at one of the following locations: Beatrice, Central City, Hastings, Holdrege, North Platte, Syracuse, and York, Nebraska.

Introduction 2:51 min.
Daren Redfearn, Extension Forage Crop Residue Specialist

Optimizing your cover crop ROI 30:08 min.
Rebecca Clay, Strategic Initiatives Agronomy Coordinator at Practical Farmers of Iowa

Cover crops play a critical role in soil and water management, but the upfront costs deter some producers from trying or sticking with cover crops. In this session we’ll explore ways to minimize cover crop seed and application costs, use cover crops to reduce cash crop production expenses, and reduce forage expenses with cover crops. Presentation PDF

Experiences and Economics Using Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop 27:45 min
Chad Bell, Farmer

The true economics of cover crops are difficult to define. However, when it comes to using cereal rye for weed control, the economics are much more black and white. You can learn more about how I pencil out using cereal rye for weed control in my roundup-ready and non-gmo soybeans. Presentation PDF

Using Aerial Imagery to Determine Cover Crop Impacts on Cash Crop Growth and Development 21:15 min

Dr. Andrea Basche, Assistant Professor, Agronomy & Horticulture University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Aerial imagery is increasingly being utilized and recognized as a tool to support crop management decisions. Through the Soil Health Initiative project, a collaboration with the USDA-NRCS and University of Nebraska research and extension, on-farm research projects are capturing in-season imagery of side-by-side trials of various cover crop management systems. This presentation will feature new analysis from aerial imagery collected in 2020 on multiple Nebraska farms. Although trends vary from field to field, in-season imagery offers promising potential to provide diagnostic information about cash crop growth, development and performance, ultimately that can support more effective and efficient cover crop management. Presentation PDF

Soil Sensing and Soil Health 22:10 min
Kristen Veum, Research Soil Scientist at USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, University of Missouri-Columbia

Presentation PDF

Pathway Toward a Healthy and Resilient Soil to Achieve Optimum Productivity and Environmental Quality: Cover Crops are Key! 40:21 min

Jerry Hatfield, Retired Director, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment

Soils are the foundation to agricultural production and soil health is key to efficient production, environmental quality, and economic viability. Resilience of cropping systems are dependent upon soils being able to supply water and nutrients. Cover crops provide the pathway to improving soil health and enhancing water and nutrient use efficiency. Cover crops should be viewed as an investment into increasing the value of agricultural systems. Presentation PDF

On-Farm Research of Incorporating Cover Crop into a 3 Crop Dryland Rotation 21:34 min
Ken Herz, Owner/Operator of Herz Land and Cattle