Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Minutes of NCCC-211 meeting, held in conjunction with Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC), Feb 28, 29, March 1, 2012 The first business meeting of the NCCC-211 working group began at 8am Tuesday February 28, with Chair Tom Kaspar presiding and Secretary Eileen Kladivko taking notes. Dale Mutch was nominated and elected as secretary-elect for the group, with his duties beginning in 2013, while Eileen Kladivko will rotate into the Chair position. Kendall Lamkey (Agronomy Department Head at Iowa State University) serves as Administrative Advisor to the group. Mary Ann Rozum from NIFA (and our NIFA representative on the committee) called in at 8:15 and spoke with the group through 8:45am. She discussed federal budgets and programs that might pertain to cover crops. She also encouraged the group to submit comments to the AFRI program for suggestions for the 2013 call for proposals. The business meeting adjourned at 8:50am so that the group could go to the main general session which opened at 9am in an adjacent room. Day 1 (Tue Feb 28) General session, 9am-12noon (notes taken by Edwin Suarez) State of the Union (Eileen Kladivko): " History of the MCCC: o Success of the website and need of logo o Advances of each year meeting o Selector tool o Pocket Guide Release TODAY o Missouri included in 2012 " Celebrate Successes o Website, list serve o Pocket guide o Crop insurance o Annual meetings o Becoming the go to place for cover crops o Multistate extension & research o Cover crop adoption " Less success in funding for research (need to get money) Open Table  suggestions and ideas (Everyone): " Where to start with extension bulletins? Demonstration of planting methods, weather patterns & other factors affecting (would MCCC approach this??) Include videos on the website of planting methods, webinar topics. " Cover crops & herbicides information approach (costs, interaction, carryover, unite efforts & ideas) " Use the list serve as an ideas resource " Click on map>state>farm (like Google maps but with the selector tool) " Vegetable growers: do some research about cover crops before vegetables " Pursuit of conservation grants?? Not as a group but as states. " Nematodes should be a researchable topic (reduction of nematodes) " Value of legumes and economical value, nitrogen capture and economical benefits. Web Update (Erin Taylor): " General information and contents for anyone unfamiliar " 299 members in 2012 (31 more) " Selector tool: demography of visitors/states, visitor number, time of the year, countries " Flow of visitors? Is it constant or has spikes during the year? " Characteristics of visitors and must visited links (facebook, Google and other tools interaction) " Future organization: what is needed for the website and events announcement Small Working Groups: Multi State Extension Activities and Products (notes taken by Edwin Suarez) " What do we want to achieve in extension? " Improve networking " include seed companies in extension efforts " Train the trainer " Role of extension vs. private industry > How to include private sector without losing independence and objectivity? " Seed company perspective > also attends extension but some dont commit to extension " What type of materials are needed? Written copies, webinars, email, phone (time as an issue) " Publications: o Centering the information (time) website should be that tool o Small posters for ag retailers (Ontario) info & MCCC website o Challenges > Funding and volunteering o SARE funding might be an option, involving adult education o Information out in the field (how crop advisors have been educated), training for them o Demo plots and data o Need of better ways to get info out and also collect data > train the trainers " Webinars: o Pros and Cons o ASA could take care of the logistics for the webinar. o Define the Audience, time, date o How short or long? o Define specific topics and define needs o Topic answers, quick topic > YouTube and mini webinars to address needs. o Two kinds of audiences, those who want to get answers and those who want to learn. o Small videos could be used by others o SWCDs can be the perfect platform o For farmers, YouTube videos can be a good dialogued tool but printed material is more trustable. (youtube + paper = good option) " Training: o How training programs should look in the future? o Cover crop study groups, train the conservation partnership o How to increase the use of cover crops? o Working in co-op on cover crop training (CCAs, retailers) o Work with fertilizer companies and with chemical companies. o How to market the MCCC? o Get some funding from fertilizer committees. > Data to show the value of cc o Sell service related to cover crops > economics on cc Small groups report back: Website " More about cc less about MCCC " Change the Homepage (include a picture) " Grower committee to get the input for website " Grower page " FAQ page or Forum > Ask the expert " Check on cc species (sheets) Selector Tool " Trouble with charts and browsers " Mixes should be included " Hardiness zone map / seeding dates review " Incorporate manure to the tool (performs well or not with manure) application styles, types of manure, manure application date. " Details about layout and clean up tool REPORTS FROM PARTNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS Ryan Stockwell NWF: " Talked about cover crop and insurance regulations issues. " Informed about meeting with risk management agents and the need to show data that proves that cover crops do not decrease yield. " Cover crops are water management tools (risk reduction) " Policy changed thanks to combined efforts " Report NWF future friendly farmers (chapter on cover crops benefits and how it changes farming for future generations) " New project focused on cover crop, developing a cover crop road map, get input from stakeholders from all aspects of cover crops to understand use and knowledge of cover crops " Developing solutions for barriers to implement cover crops. Richard Warner  Green Lands Blue Waters: " Brief overview of Green Lands Blue Water, status, organization and current projects. " Cover crops are one of their five strategies. " Discussed potential for their five strategies " Promotion of the MCCC " Sponsor combined events on working groups " Implementation site development Angie Williams - CTIC: " Great Lakes cover crop initiative GLCCI initiative explanation " Educators working in field days and continuous education " Workshops and trainings " Focus is direct implementation of cover crops (get acres planted) " Look for an extension of the CTIC Barry Fisher  Indiana NRCS: " Soil Health as an initiative to increase use of cover crops. " Cover crops as an insurance (risk reduction) " System vs no system comparison (health, N leaching, yields etc) " Soil Health is a priority in Indiana (NRCS) in 2012 " No till + cc + nutrient management +best management + crop rotation + buffers = soil health as a reality " Soil health specialists > teams for local training " Soil health items > 50% of training to soil health Kendall Lamkey  Iowa State Univ Agronomy Dept Head, and Administrative Advisor to NCCC-211: " Regional projects, good coordination with stakeholders. " 300 bushels corn without soil health is impossible " 7-12 inches of water are needed to get extra 100 bushels/acre " Also nitrogen is needed Tuesday afternoon was devoted to individual state reports from all participating states and provinces (IN, MI, IA, ONT, OH, MN, MO, WI, ND, IL). The meeting adjourned around 5pm. Wednesday Feb. 29 had invited speakers, farmer panels, and breakout discussion sessionssee detailed agenda at end of minutes. Thursday morning March 1, the second business meeting of NCCC-211 and the MCCC working group was held from 8:00- 10:30am. MCCC Planning Visioning Meeting March 1, 2012 (notes taken by Tom Kaspar) Present: Tom Kaspar, Eileen Kladivko, Dale Mutch, Dean Baas, Alan Sundermeier, Jim Hoorman, Ryan Stockwell, Anne Verhallen, Laura Van Eerd, Rich Hoormann, Richard Warner, Bill Kuenstler, Jerry Lemunyon, Barb Stewart, Erin Taylor, Marisol Berti, Tim Harrigan, Florian Chirra, Victoria Ackroyd, Charles Ellis, Elizabeth Wissel, Edwin Suarez, Dave Robison Comments from Partners about future collaboration with and work of MCCC: Ryan Stockwell National Wildlife Federation 1. Continuing work with RMA in relation to cover crops and conservations a. First step of many b. Data came in the form of farmers that were showing good yields with cover crops c. Other RMA regions to work on  maybe St. Paul MN, Topeka, KS, and Billings, MT regional offices, which include Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, and North Dakota. 2. How NWF looks at the Farm Bill in terms of cover crops a. How cover crops relate or could be included in existing programs b. Getting information about cover crops to the state NRCS technical committees so they are included in the list of practices for a program c. For congressional aides prepare (1 pg  2 sides) fact sheets, which highlights how cover crops impact every farm - e.g. improve water availability d. Invite congressional staffers to field days - state commodities groups or organic groups can help to pull in congressional staffers. 3. National Wildlife Federation also cooperates with other groups on Farm Bill Issues a. Izaak Walton League b. Land Stewardship Project c. Etc 4. Stakeholder meeting in June this summer on Roadmap For Increasing Cover Crop Adoption a. Wants participation of MCCC members b. Want MCCC support and endorsement of meeting c. Wants SWCS support and endorsement of the meeting d. Discussion of what are the issues/barriers to cover crop adoption Richard Warner  Green Lands Blue Waters 1. Keep soil covered  Perennialization of Landscape - Green Lands Blue Waters has 5 working groups to integrate these practices across landscapes a. Cover crops  MCCC has been affiliated with GLBW since shortly after our start b. Agroforestry c. Biofuel d. Livestock e. Perennial Grains 2. Economics is an important component for all these practices a. Costs b. Short-term and Long-term benefits to farmers c. Secondary economic benefits  local coops d. Value of environmental benefits e. An example is Matt Liebman and Craig Chases economic analysis of rotations in Iowa 3. Is planning a forum late in the year on how to deliver cover crops (not sure if just cover crops or all 5 practices) on the ground a. Farm planning b. How do cover crops fit in c. Economics d. Whole package NRCS  Bill Kuenstler, Jerry Lemunyon, and Barb Stewart 1. Soil Health is a new initiative a. Indiana is taking the lead in this b. Not sure how far this is going 2. NRCS wants information on how to sell cover crops to farmers a. What is the $ value of cover crops to farmers? b. What is the return? c. What is the yield benefit long-term? d. What is the cost of erosion? What is the value of the nutrients in eroded soil? e. How do cover crops reduce their risk? f. How do cover crops affect yield stability? g. How do we get cover crops to appeal to landowners  60% of farmed land is rented? h. Farmer values for cover crops and case studies are good.\ Group we should get more involved with is National Agricultural Aviators Association 1. Do we need a certification program? 2. Dave Robison mentions that the aerial applicators generally have a fly-in day in each state. 3. Field days? 4. Dean Baas and Dave Robison were leading this discussion MCCC Working Committees/Groups One-pager/White paper Tom Kaspar, Jim Hoorman, Alan Sundermeier, Ryan Stockwell, and Eileen Kladivko Purpose: Information to give to congressional staffers/legislators/government officials. We had one in the beginning that Paul Porter in Minnesota worked on. Best way to reach 300 bu corn is to improve the soil because there is only so much water and nutrients. MCCC Web Site Working Group Erin Taylor, Anne Verhallen, Rich Hoorman, web person from GLBW, Tim Harrigan Suggestions/Discussion 1. Put case studies  yield results on site - farmer derived values of cover crops 2. Keep visuals and audio separate when making videos. Keep then short 2 -3 min. 3. We need a general definition of cover crops 4. We need cover crop picture on home page  maybe rotating pictures 5. Templates for videos  standard beginning and end 6. Erin cant do editing or quality control for videos 7. Suggestions for cover crop mixture seeding rate calculators 8. Suggestions for cover crop cost and values calculators Education/Extension Needs Suggestions/Discussion 1. Question heard over-and-over from farmers last two days was How do I get started? a. For the complete novice  Cover Crops For Dummies  especially for corn/soybean rotation b. Cook book  recipe for cover crops in corn-soybean rotation c. Cover Crops 101: maybe we need a curriculum or series of webinars d. Maybe a series of one pagers for simple cover crops for a state and rotation e. Maybe we need something like a Master Gardner coarse f. We have to get into the farmers mindset i. Incorporate cover crops into their system/machinery ii. Tailor to their rotation iii. Maybe train industry/coops/NRCS to provide assistance designing a system for them iv. Start small and simple and cheap  e.g. oats in fall 2. Some discussions of cover crop posters for coops or offices 3. Short Term and Long Term Values of cover crops a. Reasonable expectation of results  doesnt happen overnight b. There will be problems c. Dont oversell cover crops d. What is the farmers tolerance for risk e. In long-term cover crops should stabilize risk and reduce variability Research Ideas 1. Value of Cover Crops a. Need Ag Economists b. Farmer derived values c. Consider economic models i. Whole farm cost calculators like FINPAC ii. Environmental Services models iii. Risk management models d. Quantify values of erosion prevention e. Quantify value of soil organic matter f. Quantify value of nutrient recycling g. Quantify value of water holding capacity and rooting depth h. Quantify yield stability or yield in bad years i. Quantify yield increase over long-term  soil productivity increase j. Quantify value of cover crops to general public  water and air quality, wildlife 2. Increase in yields or stability of yields over time a. Long-term plots b. Rooting depth c. Water holding capacity d. Potential mineralization e. Soil organic matter 3. Modeling a. Ag Systems models  process oriented models b. Need better cover crop growth models or components i. Current models focused on mature plant biomass and yield and dont predict vegetative growth well ii. Overwintering plants are difficult to model iii. Rooting depth and N uptake c. Models for predicting/analyzing soil health and soil processes with cover crops 4. Cover crop genetics a. Breeding b. Selection from existing genotypes c. Cover crops more susceptible to contact herbicides d. Cover crops with different maturities/development/flowering e. Cover crops with faster fall growth f. Cover crops with better winter hardiness g. Fast growing cool season legumes h. Mention of NRCS Elsberry Plant Center i. Measuring plant characteristics like canopy cover and growth for RUSLE2 5. Phosphorus a. Radish and phosphorus b. Response of different species c. How do cover crops affect runoff and infiltration d. How do cover crops affect soluble phosphorus e. Cover crops and manure 6. Nitrogen a. Cover crops and N release b. N release over multiple years c. Potential N mineralization d. Relationship to C storage e. Leaching losses with cover crops i. Timing of establishment and kill ii. Manure iii. Rooting depth iv. Biomass v. N content of biomass 7. Water Quality a. Nitrogen b. Phosphorus c. Sediment 8. Soil Health/Quality/Productivity a. Soil organic matter/C  hard to measure changes b. Earthworms c. Microorganisms d. Nematodes etc e. Potential mineralization f. Compaction g. Rooting depth h. Infiltration/water holding capacity 9. How do we seed cover crops more reliably before harvest? a. Seed treatments b. Machinery/aerial c. Selection of species d. Timing  near maturity or near layby or cultivation e. Decision aide 10. How do we get cover crops successfully incorporated into corn/soybean rotations? a. Seeding before or after harvest b. Machinery to overseed c. Machinery to get it in ground before harvest d. Herbicides before cover crops e. Killing cover crops early with herbicides f. Other means of killing cover crops g. Seed treatments h. Shade and traffic tolerant cover crops  tetraploid Italian ryegrass i. Reduced risk to yield of corn and soybean j. Using shorter season corn and soybean genotypes 11. IPM and Cover crops a. Help or hurt b. Insects/diseases/weeds/nematodes/rodents 12. Measure change in cover crop adoption a. Question(s) in Ag Census  Ryan Stockwell says there will be one b. Yearly cover crop data from NASS state surveys c. Use satellite pictures/data to quantify cover crop use d. Surveys/questionnaires Detailed agendas for the 3 days are included here: To NCCC-211 membersplease note that we will have our short business meeting for our regional committee, starting at 8:00am (Feb. 28) in Rm. 117. We will move to the main MCCC meeting at 8:50am in Rm 143. Tuesday February 28- MCCC Day 1Rm. 143 8:00 - 9:00 am Registration and view posters 9:00 Welcome, and State of the Union of MCCCEileen Kladivko 9:15 Group discussion on future directions for MCCCsome input to be used for further planning meeting on Thursday morning. (Also research ideas can be added to flip charts) 9:45 Small working groups (3) to brainstorm next steps with some of our Extension/outreach activities (get coffee while in these sessions) 1) Websitereorganization, other features 2) Selector tool next steps, additional features, as we expand/improve the next version 3) Multi-state Extension activities and productswhich things do we want to do as multistate activities, and outline them, and which things are individual state/province. Specific items include: webinar series; pocket guide; trainings and other products. 10:30 Small groups report back to larger group on their ideas, and plans for how to proceed 10:45 Brief reports from partners and other organizations Ryan Stockwell, National Wildlife Federation Richard Warner, Green Lands Blue Waters Angie Williams, CTIC (Conservation Technology Information Center) Barry Fisher, Indiana NRCSnew Soil Health Initiative Kendall Lamkey, Iowa State UniversityAdministrative Advisor to NCCC-211 12:15-1:30 Lunch and Poster Session 1:30 - 2:30 State and Province Reports/Updates (3) -- 20 min each, highlight one or two research projects so others get information on the types of research going on. § IN § MI § IA 2:30 - 3:00 Break and Posters 3:00 - 5:00 Continue State/Province Reports/Updates (7) § ONT § OH § MN § MO § WI § ND § IL  Wednesday February 29MCCC Day 2Multi-purpose Room (Rm 143) 7:30 - 8:15 am Registration, view posters 8:15 Welcome to annual meeting. General introduction to MCCC and its activities and cover crop educational tools and activitiesDr. Eileen Kladivko, Purdue 8:30 Practical ways to use cover crops as biofumigantsDr. Mathieu Ngouajio, Mich. State 9:00 Cover crops and their impacts on nematodesDr. George Bird, Michigan State 9:45 Break 10:00 Dr. Ray Weil, Univ. of MarylandForage radish cover crops to improve soil health 11:00 Farmer panelthree Indiana farmers share ideas and experiences with cover crops. Dan DeSutter, Rodney Rulon, Cameron Mills. Moderator: Dan Towery, CCSI 12 noon Lunch, view posters 1:00 pm Hal Weiser, N. Dakota NRCS, Cover crop mixes and building soil health 2:00 - 2:30 Breakout discussions session 1choose 1 of the 5 topics offered 2:35 - 3:05 Breakout discussion session 2choose 1of the 5 topics See separate (blue) sheet with a description of the breakout discussions and topics 3:05 Break 3:15 Soil nitrogen cycling with cover cropsWhen do we get the N back again? Dr. Jim Camberato, Purdue Agronomy 3:45 Radishes, manure, and N cycling: Case study in Michigan--Dr. Tim Harrigan, Mich. State 4:15 Cover crop costs compared with possible additional revenue from stover removal Dr. Wally Tyner and Ms. Michelle Pratt, Purdue Agricultural Economics 4:45 15 Tips in 30 MinutesBest ideas from a panel of farmers and advisors. Moderator: Dr. Hans Kok, CCSI 5:15 Adjourn Thursday March 1-- MCCC strategic planning meeting  Room 117 (concurrent w/ RC&D workshop) 8:00 am  12 noon - Follow up on Tuesdays working sessions, for Extension, research, and policy/communication plans for future.

The NCCC-211 committee, along with the larger MCCC working groups, have been very active again this year. The MCCC Decision Tool went live on the website (www.mccc.msu.edu) in February 2011 with 3 states included (IN, OH, MI). In the intervening year more states have been added and the last few states from the region are currently in progress. The Decision Tool helps farmers and advisors select appropriate cover crops for their state and county and has been well received. Members of NCCC-211 plus other MCCC members worked during 2011 to create a pocket field guide on cover crops. The new guide became available on the first day of the MCCC/NCCC211 meeting on Feb 28, 2012, and is available through Purdue Extension . http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/CoverCropsFG.aspx Several members of NCCC211, as part of the MCCC Executive Committee, participated in discussions trying to resolve some serious issues with crop insurance related to cover corps. Partners with National Wildlife Federation, NRCS state and national leadership, and land grant universities worked with Risk Management Agency (RMA) to change their policy on cover crops, especially as it related to the very wet spring of 2011. The good news is that finally in December 2011 they changed the policy! The combined NCCC211 and MCCC annual meetings in West Lafayette, Indiana attracted over 200 attendees over the 3-day period (February 28, 29, March 1). Participants were very pleased with the presentations, discussions, networking, and learning that occurred over the conference. Detailed state/province written reports were given to all participants at the beginning of the conference. All these reports along with most of the presentations will be posted in a Proceedings of the meeting on the website (www.mccc.msu.edu) under the Meetings tab, by mid-May. Next years meeting will be hosted by Ontario on Feb 28--March 1, 2013.

Refereed journal articles Kovar, J.L., T.B. Moorman, J.W. Singer, C.A. Cambardella, M.D. Tomer, and D.B. Beegle. 2011. Swine manure injection with low-disturbance applicator and cover crops reduce phosphorus losses. J. Environ. Qual. 40:329-336. Singer, J.W., K.A. Kohler, and D.W. Meek. 2011. Minimizing interspecific competition in soybean by optimizing cover crop self-seeding. Agron. J. 103:1186-1191. Singer, J.W., R.W. Malone, D.B. Jaynes, and L. Ma. 2011. Cover crop effects on nitrogen load in tile drainage from walnut creek Iowa using root zone water quality (rzwq) model. Agric. Water Manage. 98:1622-1628. Qi, Z., M.J. Helmers, R.W. Malone, and K.R. Thorp. 2011. Simulating long-term impacts of winter rye cover crop on hydrologic cycling and nitrogen dynamics for a corn-soybean crop system. Transactions of the ASABE 54:1575-1588. Qi, Z., M.J. Helmers, and A.L. Kaleita. 2011. Soil water dynamics under various agricultural land covers on a subsurface drained field in north-central Iowa, USA. Agric. Water Manage. 98:665-674. Qi, Z., M.J. Helmers, R.D. Christianson, and C.H. Pederson. 2011. Nitrate-nitrogen losses through subsurface drainage under various agricultural land covers. J. Environ. Qual. 40:1578-1585. Bernstein, E.R., J.L. Posner, D.E. Stoltenberg, and J.L. Hedtcke. 2011. Organically managed no-till rye-soybean systems: Agronomic, economic, and environmental assessment Jokela, W., J. Posner, J. Hedtcke, T. Balser, H. Read. 2011. Midwest cropping system effects on soil properties and on a soil quality index. Agron. J. 103:1553-1562. Carr, P.M., R. L. Anderson, Y. E. Lawley, Perry, R. Miller, and S.F. Zwinger. 2011. Organic zero-till in the northern US Great Plains Region: Opportunities and obstacles. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems available at doi:10.1017/s1742174217051100041X. New Extension publications Kladivko, E.J., C.K. Gerber, and 32 other contributors. 2012. Midwest Cover Crops Field Guide. Purdue Extension Publ. ID-433. http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/CoverCropsFG.aspx Kladivko, E.J. 2011. Cover crops for modern cropping systems. http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/CoverCropsOverview.pdf Kladivko, E.J. 2011. Cover crops for nitrogen management. http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/CoverCropsNitrogen.pdf Kladivko, E.J., and B. Fisher. 2011. Cover crops for prevented planting acres. http://www.ag.purdue.edu/agry/extension/Documents/PreventedPlantingCovers.pdf Ruark, M.D., K. Shelley, J. Stute. 2011. Radish as a cover crop. New Horizons of Soil Science. Issue 11-1. Anderson, C. and D. Mayerfield. 2011. Cover crops case studies: JenEhr Family Farm, Vegetables, fruit and pastured poultry. Center for Integrated Agriculture, UW-Extension. CIAS001 I-11-2011 Berti, M.T., and S. Zwinger. 2011. Cool-Season Annual Forages for Hay in North Dakota. Forage Focus. May 2011. Midwest Forage Association, St. Paul, MN. Berti, M.T. and H. Kandel. 2011. Prevented planting options. Forage Clippings. 14 July 2011. Available at http://www.midwestforage.org/newsletter/110714clippings.htm Midwest Forage Association, Saint Paul MN. Berti, M.T. and H. Kandel. 2011. Prevented planting options. p. 4-6. Bull. 11. Crop & Pest Report. 14 July 2011. North Dakota State University Extension Service, Fargo, ND.