Regenerative Agriculture

Flowering cover crops offer a win-win: weed suppression and food for pollinators

A recent study found that when cover crops are allowed to flower, not only do they provide vital food for pollinating insects, they also help suppress weeds in future crop rotations. Published in Environmental Entomology, the research compared floral resources, weed diversity, and economic weed abundance in crop fields across five cover crop treatments: one […]

Use of cover crops as climate tool on the rise

Purdue’s Ag Economy Barometer announced recently that over half of the U.S,’ largest farms (over $500,000 worth of production yearly) planted cover crops this year. Cover crops are now seen as a way to earn money from carbon contracts while lessening climate change impacts. In the survey of 400 producers, most were newcomers, with half […]

Planting perennial prairie strips—environmental boon, while increasing agricultural production

Less erosion, reduced nitrogen runoff, and loads more butterflies and microorganisms—sound worth it? Planting perennial prairie strips on farms provides these benefits, and more. Missouri farmer Frank Oberle has been using one-mile-long prairie strips for over 15 years—strips of 30-120 feet wide placed along waterways, through fields, or in terrace channels—seeding them with native flowers […]

First-of-its-kind study shows that diverse landscapes could boost U.S. crop yields by 20%

The team found that landscapes with increased diversity produced ~17 to 18 bushels more per acre, of corn and wheat By Emma Bryce Increasing land cover diversity in agricultural landscapes is about more than protecting nature: it could also increase crop yields across large areas of the United States by up to 20%, according to […]

Cargill aims to create new revenue stream for farmers as part of 10 million-acre regenerative agriculture commitment

Cargill RegenConnectTM links farmers to the emerging carbon marketplace and aims to scale the voluntary adoption of regenerative ag practices. But questions remain about the emerging carbon markets. As part of Cargill’s commitment to advance regenerative agriculture practices across 10 million acres of land in North America by 2030, the agricultural giant has been enrolling […]