Cover crops are grown for several of their benefits, ranging from protecting and enhancing soil to pest suppression. What about using them to sequester atmospheric carbon to counter climate change, which could serve as an income source from carbon credits? While carbon credits aren’t a current reality, once a cap and trade system is in […]

The 2017 conference, our fourth, was held on October 4th in Washington and Ozaukee Counties, near Wisconsin’s Eastern shore. The theme of this year’s conference was “The Role of Cover Crops in Soil and Water Quality”, chosen because the location falls in the Milwaukee River Watershed which is classified as impaired by the Environmental Protection […]

SAVE THE DATE – Monday, October 9, 2017, Wisconsin Conservation Farming with Gulf Seafood! Join Iowa County’s Uplands Farmer-Led Watershed Group for a farm tour followed by brats and seafood. Starts at 9 am […]

The 2017 growing season has proven one of the most challenging in recent memory and portends things to come. Precipitation in particular has been highly variable, including periods of excess rainfall, waterlogged soils and now a prolonged dry spell. Agriculturally, results from this pattern were difficulty getting spring field done during brief 1 to 3-day […]

The Institute will be holding a cover crop field day on Thursday, September 8th from 1 to 4 pm, beginning at our research farm, W2857 County ES, East Troy. The field day will feature our latest research work in both organic and conventional systems with topics including Sunn hemp cultural trials, no-till cover crop sequences, […]

If you missed the showing of the documentary FLOW last weekend at Michael Fields but would like to learn more check out these resources: Of the 6 billion people on earth, 1.1 billion do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. www.charitywater.org The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently does not regulate 51 known water […]

February 24, 2016 at University of Wisconsin Madison

Cover crops can increase soil health, fertility and yields, help crops withstand
drought, reduce flooding, reduce weeds and other pests, decrease erosion,
capitalize on nutrients already in the soil, and help farmers save money.
We will tour two fields, where Mr. Stelpflug will share his experiences, invite
other farmers to share theirs, and MFAI’s Research Director, Dr. Jim Stute,
will answer questions about cover crops, based on research conducted around
the state.

East Troy, WI – On Friday, August 14, 2015, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service of WI, UW-Extension, and Organic Valley hosted the 2015 WI Cover Crops Conference.

Dan DeSutter from west central Indiana, is the conference keynote speaker and will be discussing his use of no-till, cover crops and manure to improve soil quality on his 4,500-acre farm. He was a former financial analyst and commodity broker, and in 2013 DeSutter was honored as the National No-Till Innovator of the Year. The […]

MFAI hosted the Round Table discussion on the Oconomowoc River Watershed Water Quality Project held by US Secretary Vilsack this week. Secretary Vilsack toured the Gardens at Michael Fields with Garden Manager Christine Welcher; the Gardens are the training ground for young farmer interns who come from around the world. He learned about the benefits […]

The 2015 conference will be held on Friday, August 14th 2015 at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, East Troy. The theme of this year’s conference is “Cover Crops and Agricultural Resiliency” features a mix of general sessions and bus tours highlighting successful cover crop practitioners in southeast Wisconsin in a variety of cropping systems. Click […]

Soils in mature organic systems may develop chronic, yield limiting problems that can’t be addressed with the short-term fixes available for nonorganic production. Examples include poor soil structure, loss of organic matter and the build-up of pest populations, most notably weeds and plant parasitic nematodes. Frequent tillage is responsible for many of the soil quality […]

Jeff Gaska, long-time no-till farmer and cover crop user is featured prominently is a recent article entitled “Protect Soil, Produce More N with Frost Seeded Red Clover”. Gaska, who farms near Beaver Dam outlines his production practices, provides tips for success and talks about the benefits of cover crop use including the corn yield increase […]

The 2014 season was such a success! We couldn’t have done it without all the amazing customer support and encouragement we received throughout the season. As the interns last year found out, farming is hard work but your kind words and smiles make it all worthwhile. 2015 is shaping up to be another exciting year […]

Frost seeding red clover into wheat has become a popular cover crop system in the upper mid-west and rightfully so. It’s cheaper to establish than other cover crop options in wheat, “Tillage” radish for example; its reliable year in and out because success is not dependent on highly variable August rainfall; the system is “Shovel […]

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute rescheduled 2014 Cover Crops Field Day to Tuesday, September 30, 2014, from 11 am to 2:30 pm. Key speakers from NRCS, UW Soil Science & MFAI. Register Today!

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced a special funding opportunity to help landowners plant cover crops for erosion control, soil improvement or other conservation needs.

The WI Cover Crops Conference, hosted by Michael Fields Ag Institute, NRCS WI, UW-Extension and sponsored by North Central SARE, was a huge success. With over 100 attendees, this conference advanced the spread of knowledge on cover crops in Wisconsin and educated farmers, agency, and non-profit staff on the economic and soil health benefits of cover crops.

The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) are collaborating with UW-Extension to bring this conference to farmers, students, conservation staff, and anyone with an interest in cover cropping systems. Farmers from different regions of the state will come together on two different panels to discuss cover cropping in their operations

Don’t forget to sign up for the Whole Farm Workshops taking place at MFAI in February. Learn everything from cover crops basics to raising chickens.

More than ever, farmers are planting cover crops to retain soil moisture, reduce erosion, and maximize profitability. Given these and other recognized benefits of cover crops, USDA directed an interagency task force to put together cover crop termination guidelines so farmers who use cover crops don’t risk losing their crop insurance coverage, as has unfortunately happened in the past.