Conservation Chats to Focus on Cover Crop Opportunities

Spring has officially sprung, and the spring planting season is off to it’s earliest start in recent years. And while farmers are hitting the fields, that time in the tractor cab may give them some time to think about what comes next.

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about and planning cover crop plantings for this fall. That’s why Ashland SWCD is providing several upcoming events to give farmers insights into the best way to incorporate cover crops into their system this year.

Next week, we will be hosting the first of what we are planning as monthly Conservation Chats, and this one will be focusing on Covering Your Assets with cover crops. From erosion prevention to building soil health, organic matter, and water retention capacity, cover crops are truly mini super heroes that you literally use to cover one of a farm’s most valuable assets: its soil.

The event will take place at the Andy Hall farm near Jeromesville and is free to the public. Pre-registration is required to make sure we have enough Ohio Fire Pizza for everyone to enjoy. You can register online at www.facebook.com/AshlandSWCD or by calling 419-281-7645.

The evening will include a chat with Ryan Haden from the Ohio State University on the latest research when it comes to interseeding cover crops into a cash crop. Craig Houin from Sunrise Cooperative will also talk about how predictive computer modeling can provide insight onto how cover crops affect nutrient levels and management in your fields. 

The West Holmes FFA’s Ag Issues team will also be talking about the need for precision conservation technologies to improve water quality in the Mohican Watershed, and team member Garrett Houin will talk about the cost-share opportunities available to area farmers through the Caring for Our Watershed program. 

Ashland SWCD Jerome Fork Watershed Coordinator Erica White will also share information on the cover crop cost-share opportunities available in Ashland County: Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District’s cover crop cost-share, MWCD’s soil health pilot program, aerial coordinated seeding, and the Ohio Agriculture Conservation Initiative’s Beginning Cover Crop Program. White will also share information on the newest addition to Ashland SWCD’s equipment rental program: a cover crop interseeder.

And if all of that cover crop goodness was not enough, a second Conservation Chat is planned for June 16 at the David Elson farm outside of Ashland to provide an Interseeder Intro. The June event will also feature Haden as well as Fennig Equipment, the manufacturer of Ashland SWCD’s new cover crop interseeder. The interseeder was funded through a Partners in Watershed Management grant from the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District.

Interseeding cover crops is a relatively new management tool, but can offer several benefits to producers ready to expand their cover crop use and skip out on battling the unpredictable fall weather to get their cover crops in the ground.

For more information on Ashland SWCD’s cover crop programs, contact White at 419-281-7645 or by e-mail at ewhite@ashlandcounty.org