Cover Crops: An Idea Worth Planting? | Samantha Tellatin | TEDxMU

How many times have you been on a road trip bound towards a beautiful mountain scene or national monument? Did you notice the land you passed along your way, and how memorable were the farms that you saw? By understanding the story of land, we can better connect to it. On farms throughout the United States, cover crops have the potential to shape a resilient future for all of us. In this talk, we’ll explore what cover crops are and why they are an idea worth planting.

Sami graduated from MU in 2015 with a B.S. in BioEngineering. At MU she worked with the BioEngineering “Green Team” to transport food waste from campus to Bradford Research Farm, to be transformed into compost. She also worked at the Root Cellar, a local food hub in Columbia, and upon graduating from MU began working in Ferguson, Missouri at EarthDance Organic Farm School. Now, Sami has again landed in Columbia to work as an Extension Associate at MU, in the Division of Food Systems and BioEngineering. This role allows her to work with farmers, non-profit leaders, government organizations, private industry companies and other extension employees to further soil health initiatives across the U.S. Her focus in particular is understanding and communicating the economic and environmental impacts of soil and land stewardship practices, and empowering farmers to adopt these practices to maximize their farm's long term viability.

[johnfitbyfaithnet]

Great information listening from Brownwood Texas thank you

[thebestdirt]

I planted corn into a cover crop called fixation it's a white clover, rolled planted green on 1 ac no fertlizer or nitrogen, planted may 25th in southern ky it yielded 130 bu. where i side dressed 120 units of N yield was 180bu. my pic is a pic of the planting green

[boriquayo]

Functional ecological design is a better solution to food production. We can not depend on cover crops alone. I believe all layers of a forest, including Trees, shrubs, bushes, and perennial plants should be a part of all agricultural lands for long term stability and yield.

[timkinrade]

"Before I talk about what you came here for, FIRE AND BRIMSTONE"

[rachnasingh]

Any suggestions for cover crops for non-farming land in mountains ?

[mikekraidy]

Most compaction is not physical, it is chemical. It is due to lack of calcium. Some of these cover crops like the radish will bring calcium up. Better to apply it instead though..

[ChadwickRC]

I have a small 450 square foot garden on which I began using cover crops last year. I like the results but bought seeds with only a general plan to help fix nitrogen, keep roots in the soil to enhance microbial activity, build organic matter, and keep the soil covered. If you know of any resources for helping to choose specific combinations of cover crop seeds based on plant and soil needs, I would be very grateful. Thank you for your presentation and the information that you offered. I think this is an extremely critical issue.

[michaelvangundy]

In the north half of the corn belt, the harvest for corn and soybean usually isn't over until snow is flying. It would be impossible to establish a cover crop of annuals with night time lows below freezing. Second, in the spring most farms need very little cover over the soil in order for the temperature to rise quickly. A two week delay would be disastrous. It is romantic to have ideas but be specific to a region. Be detailed about costs versus reward. Farmers are willing to change but crimson clover is $1.40 per pound. It takes 10 pounds to the acre. Most have 2500 acres, so that's $35, 000 plus planting costs. What do you think the banker will tell the farmer? I need $50, 000 to install a cover crop with $0.00 in return. But it may make the soil better if the crop does well.

[lunethgardens]

Not mentioned is that it's also likely the best method we have at the moment to start reversing climate change.

[johngoudge]

A bit of nit picking. Fritz Haber invented nitrogen fixation before WWI. It allowed Germany to produce explosive in WWI, thus prolonging the war to 1918. Liked the rest of it.

[calnaturally]

Thank you for your presentation. I have a motto, Every Man (and woman) is my teacher. I have to disagree with your statement about soil compaction. Equipment usage is not the reason we have compacted soils. If we have healthy soils, the use of equipment Is not as harmful. The reason we have compacted soil is because all of the life in the soil is dead or dying. Selecting for not only compacted soil but even more devastating, anaerobic soil conditions. Once we are there we invite all of the
"Bad Biology" to thrive. Soil Biology is the key to our future success as farmers. Moreover, this issue quickly moves into a National Security matter, because we wont be able to compete with the rest of the worlds farmers. China is becoming the largest producer of corn for silage and human consumption. Who's next?
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[agdayem]

Felt like a high school powerpoint presentation