The State of Maryland has committed approximately $16 million for the 2011-2012 Cover Crop Program, which provides grants to farmers who plant cover crops in the fall to conserve nutrients, reduce soil erosion and protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Farmers using a cover-crop seeder developed by Penn State agricultural scientists may eventually need only a single trip across the field to accomplish what takes most farmers three passes and several pieces of equipment to do.

Although the original and best plan would be to rotate to corn this year, from a timing perspective, some might be considering to plant soybeans in those field in early June.

To preserve long-term carbon balances and soil productivity, the goal of maintaining 2,500 to 3,000 pounds of organic matter, on average, after each crop should be the goal.

Monsanto Co. is paying farmers to increase the number of herbicides they’re using, and the rebate program is designed to prevent more acrage from getting infested with weeds that are resistant to one particularly popular herbicide, Roundup.

Many farmers insist on tilling in the fall, despite evidence it could do more harm than good, according to an Iowa State University soil management expert.

Cover crop biomass accumulation and root growth depend on when the cover crop is established. This determines how much cover the cover crop provides and this is important for erosion control, especially when establishing a cover crop in a tilled seedbed, or with no-till in low residue situations.

Corn prices have settled into a relatively narrow trading range, with December 2009 futures trading between $3.20 and $3.50 per no-till bushel over the past 3 weeks. The relatively low price level reflects the anticipation of a large harvest in 2009, says Darrel Good, University of Illinois economist.