CBMP to host cover crop field day

[November 03, 2014]  BLOOMINGTON - The Illinois Council on Best Management Practices (CBMP) will host a cover crop field day at Sugar Grove Nature Center in McLean, Illinois on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

After flying on a mixture of oats, oilseed radish and turnips on 20 acres of standing soybeans in August attendees are now invited to see the latest results of the project. Cover crop specialists, Pete Fandel and Mike Plumer, will deliver presentations on the use and management of cover crops and how they can improve soil health, water quality and farm productivity. Bryon Kirwan, State Economist for NRCS, will also present on the economic considerations of cover crops.

The event is sponsored by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the Zea Mays Foundation and the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices (CBMP). These projects are intended to educate both the general public and specific agricultural audiences on the benefits of using cover crops to improve soil and water quality and to improve crop yields. With production farmland and educational facilities in close proximity, the Sugar Grove Nature Center provides an ideal location for the establishment of a Cover Crop Demonstration site.

For more information about the field day please contact Caroline Wade at [phone] or by email at [e-mail].

[Illinois Council on Best Management Practices]