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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

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Cover Crops Focus of Ag Day Program Feb. 16 in Paulding (Western Ohio)

February 8, 2011

PAULDING, Ohio -- Learn about cover crops from Ohio State University experts and hear from a farmer who has used them on Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the Paulding County office of OSU Extension, 503 Fairground Drive, Paulding, not far from the Indiana border.

The program will run from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Registration costs $10 and includes lunch. Pre-registration is required and can be done by contacting the Paulding County Extension office at 419-399-8225 or lopshire.1@osu.edu.

“Cover crops are being utilized by more and more farmers in the area as a conservation tool to control wind and water erosion on fields with little or no residue cover,” said Jim Lopshire, OSU Extension educator. 

“Cover crops are also being utilized as a nutrient management tool to recycle manure nutrients and prevent those nutrients from moving off site during heavy rains. They can also improve soil tilth and soil organic matter, reduce compaction, and increase water infiltration, which decreases leaching of nutrients and provides a habitat for beneficial microorganisms.” 

Presentations include:

-- “Biology of Soil Compaction and Soil Structure,” Jim Hoorman, OSU Extension educator.

-- “Benefits of Cover Crops,” Florian Chirra, OSU Extension educator.

-- “Midwest Specific Cover Crops,” Dave Robinson, agronomist and seed marketing manager, Cisco.

-- “Conservation Action Project (CAP) Update,” Todd Hesterman, multi-county CAP coordinator.

-- “Yield Benefits from Cover Crops,” Robert Mullen, soil fertility specialist, OSU Extension and Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).

-- “Local Farmer Shares His Experience with Cover Crops,” Joe Woods, Paulding County farmer.

OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and research arms, respectively, of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

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Author(s): 
Mauricio Espinoza
Source(s): 
Jim Lopshire