2019 MSU Extension cover crop field days across Michigan
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EmailLearn how to add cover crops to your rotation at one of the many cover crop field days coming up in Michigan.
Are you interested in adding cover crops to your farm, but not sure where to start? Cover crops provide cover to the soil when a crop is not there, and they feed soil microbes organic matter that in turn makes nutrients available to the next planting of crops. Other cover crop benefits include erosion prevention, addition of organic matter to the soil and weed suppression.
While many farmers are aware of cover crop benefits, it’s not always so easy to know how to include them into operations: which species to use, how to terminate the cover crop and which ones can serve a dual purpose as cover crop and forage.
If you want more information on cover crops, learn about different varieties or see how they perform, check out the series of field days, hosted by the Michigan State University Extension Cover Crops Team. These events are an opportunity for producers and agriculture professionals to visit field sites to observe and discuss cover crop use, management, benefits and farming challenges. Join MSU Extension educators and producers at various locations throughout Michigan. At each location you can see over 30 varieties of cover crops growing on-farm!
Below is the list of field day dates and locations.
- Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m. - Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning & Innovation, 16745 Lamphere St, Detroit 48219
- Aug. 21 4:30-7:30 p.m. - Hillsdale County, 6011 W Territorial Rd, Camden, 49232
- Aug. 22, 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. - Hillsdale County, 14031 Broom Rd Waldron, 49288
- Aug. 23, 9-11 a.m. - Kent County, 3758 15 Mile Rd, Kent City
- Aug. 23, 10 a.m. – Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning & Innovation, 16745 Lamphere St, Detroit 48219
- Aug. 26, 6-8 p.m. - Monroe Community College Agronomy Farm - 1555 S Raisinville Rd, Monroe, 48161
- Aug. 27, 1-2 p.m. CT - Pleasant View Farms (Menominee County), 12698 US-41, Carney, 49812
- Aug. 29, 5:30-7 p.m. - Urban cover crops, Beantown Garden (Ingham County), 430 S. Mifflin Ave, Lansing
- Sept. 19 (please note this is an updated date), 10 a.m.-4 p.m. - Tilian, 4400 Pontiac Trail, Ann Arbor, 48105
- Sept. 24, 10 a.m. - Sanilac County, 1½ miles north of the intersection of M-53 & M-46 and ¼ mile west on Upper Road
- Sept. 25, 10 a.m. - Calhoun County, 24425 M-60, Homer 49245
- Sept. 25, 5:30-7 p.m. - Kent County, 3758 15 Mile Rd, Kent City
- Sept. 27 (please note that this is an updated date), 8 a.m.-12 p.m. - Cover crops and research, Kellogg Biological Station, 3700 E Gull Lake Dr, Hickory Corners, 49060
- Oct. 8, 6-8 p.m. - Urban cover crops, Beantown Garden (Ingham County), 430 S. Mifflin Ave, Lansing
- Nov. 6, 9-11 a.m. - Kent County, 3758 15 Mile Rd, Kent City
- To be determined - Mecosta County
- To be determined - Midland County
As dates get closer, see the MSU Extension Cover Crops website for more information.
The MSU Extension Cover Crops Team will be hosting, or partnering on, a series of field days and field walks, looking at a variety of cover crops and how they work in cropping systems.
This is an opportunity for producers and agriculture professionals to visit field sites to observe and discuss cover crop use, management, benefits, and challenges with MSU Extension educators and producers in various locations throughout Michigan.
We hope you can join us for one or more of these cover crop field day. As dates get closer, visit the MSU Extension Cover Crops page for more information, or contact Dean Baas. If you have questions about cover crops and their use, contact anyone on the MSU Extension Cover Crop Team.
This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program 2017-70006-27175 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.