Cronin Farms innovative no-till system integrates both cover crops and livestock grazing (see related video: Next Step: Adding a Cover Crop to a No Till System). With support from SARE, Forgey has found several cover crop mixes that work well for his situation. In this companion video, Forgey describes his ongoing research with cover crops, this time looking at how they might be grown in sync with a cash crop of corn. A forage soybean variety developed by Dwayne Beck of South Dakota State University showed excellent results, with corn yields of 60-80 bushels per acre without chemical fertilizer.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program’s mission is to advance—to the whole of American agriculture—innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education. SARE is proud of its connections to farming communities across the country and encourages those who wish to learn more to visit their website. SARE is funded by USDA and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).