Learn how cover crops can benefit your farm

Learn more about cover crops at the 2017 Cover Crops Symposium

Whether you’re a farmer interested in improving your soil’s health and lowering production costs or you’re simply interested in resource conservation and the latest research on farming, the 2017 Cover Crops Symposium has you covered.

This year’s symposium takes place on Wednesday, Nov. 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Concord. Registration is only $10.

Organized by the N.H. Cover Crops Team, the symposium brings together researchers from UNH Cooperative Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the N.H. Association of Conservation Districts and farmers from throughout the region to share the latest research and best practices for cover crops. The event includes a farmer-to-farmer session where attendees can ask questions and share their experiences with cover crops.

“We want to emphasize farmer-to-farmer learning,” says Carl Majewski, a food and agriculture field specialist with UNH Cooperative Extension and a member of the N.H. Cover Crops Team. “There is a lot of valuable experience that farmers have with day-to-day operations to be shared, and people learn well from their peers.”

Cover crops, such as clover, vetch or rye, are planted between cropping seasons. They’re one of agriculture’s unsung heroes, according to Majewski, with benefits for farmers and the public alike. Cover crops help reduce soil erosion and runoff into surrounding waters and keep in fields the nutrients that nourish the next year’s crop. Without cover crops, a barren field can lose topsoil and nutrients to wind and rain.

The Cover Crops Symposium is the perfect starting point for farmers who are interested in bringing cover crops to their farm — register now.