This case study shares the experience of one Wisconsin farmer who has been growing cover crops on his cash grain farm for twenty years. He presents his philosophy of cover crop use, explains what cover crop management practices have and have not worked on his farm, and describes what benefits he sees from growing cover crops. [...more]

Crops that are grown solely to provide soil cover or for the purposes of increasing soil fertility are referred to as cover crops or green manures. Due their ability to protect and enhance soils, cover crops are considered a fundamental aspect of any sustainable cropping system. [...more]

This report describes managed grazing projects funded by the Wisconsin Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative from 2002-2003. Seventeen education projects supported a variety of networking activities, as well as programs for beginning and transitioning farmers. Five research projects looked at ground and surface water quality, nitrogen management strategies, late season grass growth, soil compaction, and outwintering [...] [...more]

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The February issue features: Persistence of grazed red clover varieties Carbon crediting for agricultural soil management practices Upcoming events Soil quality and the grass farm, part Issues and opportunities for the Wisconsin grazing community Read this newsletter (pdf file) [...more]

Grass Clippings is a quarterly newsletter that features grazing-related research from the University of Wisconsin and beyond. The November issue features: Sire selection strategies for graziers Soil testing pastures The grazing research town hall meeting at the agronomy/soils field day Soil quality and the grass farm, part The place of pastures in UW-Madison agronomy history The Truttmann pasture walk Read this newsletter [...] [...more]

The Wisconsin Soil Health Scorecard assesses soil health as a function of soil, plant, animal and water properties identified by farmers. The scorecard is a field tool to monitor and improve soil health based on field experience and a working knowledge of a soil. While the scorecard is best completed near or just following harvest, [...] [...more]

If you follow practices that build and maintain soil organic matter, especially through the addition of organic amendments, you will improve the quality of your soil, reducing compaction and crusting, and increasing drainage and water holding capacity. Plants will be healthier, may yield more, and will be more tolerant of drought, insects and diseases. [...] [...more]

Composting is controlled decomposition, the natural breakdown process of organic residues. Composting transforms raw organic waste materials into biologically stable, humic substances that make excellent soil amendments. Compost is easier to handle than manure and other raw organic materials, stores well and is odor-free. This paper describes the composting process, general guidelines [...] [...more]

Composted manures offer promise as beneficial soil amendments for vegetable growers. New research results show that composted manures can increase vegetable yield, influence crop diseases, and bring about changes in soil microbial life. These research findings are from an on-farm collaboration between vegetable growers and research scientists at UW-Madison. The project began with Richard DeWilde and [...] [...more]

Farmers who wish to outwinter their cattle to decrease facility and labor costs can do so in environmentally sound ways. In a study conducted during the winter of 1997-98, manure from outwintered cattle on three Wisconsin dairy farms retained nutrients rather than releasing them to the environment where they could pollute ground or surface water. [...] [...more]