(June 10, 2019 - Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement on disaster and trade-related assistance: “Whether it’s because of natural disasters or unfair retaliatory tariffs, farmers across the country are facing significant challenges and tough decisions on their farms and ranches. Last month, immediately upon China reneging on commitments made during the trade talks, President Trump committed USDA to provide up to $16 bill

Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI) are working with Purdue University’s Department of Forestry and Natural Resources to help identify causes and solutions to farmers who experience issues with voles in cover cropped fields. Purdue is seeking information from 50-75 fields per NRCS area that meet the following criteria: The field was planted to cover crops in the fall of 2015; The field was planted to so

Keep it covered, please! If you’re trying to make your soil healthier, you shouldn’t see it very often. In other words, soil should always be covered by growing plants, their residues, or a combination of the two. Keeping the soil covered all the time makes perfect sense when you realize that healthy soils are full of life and that the microorganisms living in the soil have the same needs as other living creatures. They need food and cover to survive. When you have a vegetati

Fall Conservation Transect Report Released – Cover Crops Thrive in Tough Farm Economy One Million Acres of Living Cover Crops Reported Indianapolis, May 17, 2017 – According to the 2016 Fall Conservation Transect Report, Hoosier farmers planted over a million acres of cover crops for the second year in a row. Jane Hardisty, State Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) says having over a million acres of planted cover crops makes Indiana the

The St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation District is working to improve water quality by promoting and providing cost share for practices in the conservation cropping system (no-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and filter strips). The goal of this program is to encourage producers to utilize all aspects of the cropping system which will increase soil health and improve water quality. The SWCD will cost share practice acres as follows: No-till - $15.00/ acre (m

You can’t pick up a farm magazine or read a website, including this one, without hearing about cover crops and soil health. But you’re still just not sold on the idea of spending money to throw seed on the ground this fall. WHO DOESN’T LIKE A GOOD GULLY? If this hillside isn’t seeded in a cover crop this fall, it will continue to erode. The only person who likes gullies is the farmer who gets the topsoil that washes out. Here are five arguments you can use to explain to your

#CoverCrops #MarshallCountySWCD #PARPcredits

Indianapolis, IN, April 20, 2016 – Results from the 2015 Indiana Fall Tillage and Cover Crop Transect, which is an on-the-ground survey, indicate that overall soil health in Indiana is improving. According to the data, over 1.1 million acres of cover crops were planted in 2015, which is an increase of nearly 10 percent compared to the previous year and 225 times more coverage over the past decade. Cover crops build soil organic matter, protect against soil erosion, cycle nutr

The St. Joseph County Soil and Water Conservation District is working to improve water quality by promoting and providing cost share for practices in the conservation cropping system (no-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and filter strips). The goal of this program is to encourage producers to utilize all aspects of the cropping system which will increase soil health and improve water quality. The SWCD will cost share practice acres as follows: No-till - $15.00/ acre (m