By Blake Jackson
The Wisconsin Cover Crop Data Network team has developed and is currently testing a new cover crop scenario tool.
This innovative resource leverages farmer-provided data from across the state to illustrate potential outcomes of various cover crop applications, considering different soils, farm systems, cover crop species, and farmer goals.
The tool offers scenarios focused on key benefits such as erosion control, nutrient scavenging, nitrogen crediting, weed suppression, fall grazing, and spring grazing.
Beyond simply showing desired outcomes, users can also view detailed information on biomass totals, nutrient plant analysis, and forage analysis for specific cover crops.
Currently, the team is actively seeking feedback to refine and improve the tool. You can explore the tool and provide your insights here.
The Wisconsin Cover Crop Data Network is a collaborative effort involving the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, UW-Madison Extension Nutrient and Pest Management Program, The Nature Conservancy, USDA Dairy Forage Research Center, and UW-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Since 2020, this partnership has collected data from over 220 fields across Wisconsin, encompassing diverse cropping rotations and climate conditions, to understand farmer incentives and the real-world results of cover crop adoption.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-mvburling
Categories: Wisconsin, Crops, Education