‘Yes, but how much rain did you keep?’
Improved productivity and profitability follow as soil health improves, making production systems more resilient while reducing risks to the environment. This became the focus of my Extension programs and why I’m working with the Nebraska Soil Health Coalition (NHSC) to help producers adopt practices to improve soil health.
Eyes in the sky help farmers dial in nitrogen applications
This time of year, farmers are deciding whether their crops would benefit from a nutrient boost, weighing yield potential against the high cost of fertilizer. A tool that monitors plant health from space is helping make those decisions easier.
Sentinel Ag collects images of a crops via satellite and combines it with agronomic data to deliver recommendations to a farmer’s pocket. An email or app alerts users when a crop is showing signs of nitrogen deficiency or lack of moisture.
Finding the sweet spot for interseeding corn
In an effort to control weeds and build healthy soils, south central Nebraska farmer Jordan Uldrich interseeded his corn rows with a cover crop mix.
He timed the work planning to catch corn at the right growth stage where the cover crop won’t compete for growth and the drill won’t damage the corn when the covers are seeded. It’s also nice to find a chance of rain in the forecast to help establish the cover crop as soon as possible.
A supportive team for soil health
Ag producers don’t need to be reminded of the challenging circumstances battering the industry right now. Seemingly every farmer and rancher is weighed down by growing disparity between income and expense, catastrophizing weather events and boomeranging government policies.