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HPPR Environment

No-till and Cover Cropping Help Retain Moisture in Sandy Soil

High Plains Public Radio

Published September 1, 2015 at 4:00 AM CDT

Many producers have converted to no-till, and now progressive farmers are learning to cover crop to keep soil covered after harvesting a cash crop. Ryan Speer is such a producer. He farms in central Kansas along the Arkansas River south of Halstead. He grows corn, soybeans, wheat and milo, in sandy soil poor at retaining moisture. Ryan started cover-cropping in 2007. By improving the biological material in his soil, more moisture is being stored from precipitation events.

PARTICIPANTS:

Ryan Speer
Producer
Halstead, KS

Candy Thomas
State Agronomist-Kansas
NRCS
Salina, KS

Produced by Playa Lakes Joint Venture.

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HPPR Environment cover crops no-till farming retaining moisture

HPPR News

Cover crops and no-till aren't just good for soil — they also make farmers more money, study says

Eva Tesfaye

Much of the research on regenerative farming practices, such as no-till or cover crops, has looked at the benefits to the environment and the soil. Now a new study finds these farming practices also have economic benefits for farmers.
HPPR News

Midwest farmers tripled use of cover crops, but it's still just a small fraction of acres

Jonathan Ahl

A new study shows a threefold increase in Midwest farm acres using the offseason crops to help protect the soil and reduce runoff, but it still makes up less than 8% of all farmland.
HPPR News

Carbon is agriculture’s latest money-maker. But is it enough to combat climate change?

Dana Cronin

Agriculture companies are increasingly paying farmers to capture carbon. But some say the newly budding carbon marketplace isn’t enough to fight climate change.
HPPR News

New effort aims to help Midwest farmers plant cover crops on a half a million acres

Katie Peikes

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has awarded nearly $3 million dollars in grants to plant cover crops in six Midwestern states, including Kansas and Iowa. The funding comes as demand for state and federal incentive programs for cover crops often outpaces available funding.
HPPR News

For Farmers In Dry Regions, Cover Crops May Not Be Worth The Water

Seth Bodine

Jimmy Emmons has all sorts of things growing in his fields in Leedey, Oklahoma. There’s peas, beans, millets and varieties of grain sorghum, but none of...