Cover-Cropping

Farmers want to get as much out of the soil as they put into it, and many say the use of cover crops is helping them.

Paul Ackley is sharing his story this week with other farmers, specifically how to integrate cattle and sheep into a cover-cropping system.

Ackley has been farming for 50 years and says he's hooked on cover-cropping and encourages others to try it because he believes farmers need to modify planting and harvesting methods.

"The current production model is headed for a wreck," he states. "We're losing tons of soil – they say more bushel of soil than crops we harvest at times. And we have to change, and so, yes, I'm hooked on it."

He adds that there's a lot more awareness and interest in conservation methods.

"I think we'd like to see farms have more resilience and healthier soil, and I think to do that, I think we have to have more farmers and not less with bigger equipment, he states. "I think we have to have someone that's out there that's reading the land on a daily or weekly basis."

Ackley, who in addition to cattle and sheep raises corn, soybeans and wheat, says farm soil is a farmer's wealth, and notes he's reduced the use of fertilizer and chemical applications with cover-cropping.

Many research studies around the world demonstrate that cover crops can increase yield.