NSDU Extension to Host Cover Crop Summit on March 26

By Rutendo Nyamusamba

Farmers interested in utilizing the benefits of cover crops will want to attend a one-day cover crop summit hosted by North Dakota State University Extension on March 26 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

The summit will be broadcast live at all NDSU Research Extension Centers, the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory USDA-ARS in Mandan, North Dakota, or is available to watch from home via Zoom.

“We are excited to bring a diverse group of speakers and information to farmers and those interested in learning more about the value of cover crop systems during this one-day educational event,” says Rutendo Nyamusamba, NDSU Extension conversation agronomist at the Dickinson Research Extension Center and summit organizer.

The summit is free to attend, but registration is required at ndsu.ag/covercrops25.

The summit topics and speakers are:

• Carbon Cycle - Lindsay Malone, NDSU School of Natural Resource Sciences assistant professor of conservation agronomy
• The Hidden Society: How Soil Microbes Shape Farming - Carlos Pires, NDSU Extension soil health specialist
• The Five Principles of Soil Health - Darrell Oswald, District Manager, Menoken Farm, Burleigh County, North Dakota
• Soil Regeneration using Cover Crops - Jay Fuhrer, NRCS soil health specialist, Bismarck, North Dakota
• Forage Covers - James Rogers, North Central Research Extension Center, Interim Assitant Director and Extension forage specialist
• Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems - Doug Landblom, Dickinson Research Extension Center beef cattle specialist
• Perennial Cover Crops - John Hendrickson, USDA-ARS, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory rangeland specialist, Mandan, North Dakota
• Carbon Credits - David Ripplinger, Extension bioproducts/bioenergy economist
• Conservation Planning with Beneficial Insects - Sarah Hamilton-Buxton, Farm Bill pollinator conservation planner and Lena Bohm, USDA- NW Area soil conservationist planner, NRCS
• Can Cover Crops Improve Yields, Mitigate Salinity, and Enhance Nutrient Cycling for Corn, Soybean, and Sugarbeet in North Dakota? - Sergio Cabello-Leiva, Carrington Research Extension Center soil scientist
• Farmer Experiences - Lloyd Alveshere, farmer and retired NRCS Conservationist, and Deanna and Kelly Lozensky, experienced regenerative farmers