Feb. 13 2017 01:49 PM

New Organization for Everyone With an Interest in Cover Crops

The information below has been supplied by dairy marketers and other industry organizations. It has not been edited, verified or endorsed by Hoard’s Dairyman.

Got a burning question about how to implement a cover crop program on your farm? Or maybe you’re an ag professional working with farmers who are asking cover crop questions you feel somewhat inadequate to answer?

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a well-versed forum where you could find answers to all your cover crop questions?

Well, you do.

Called Cover Crop Innovators™, this new organization is open to everyone at every level with an interest in cover crops.

This emerging organization is the brainchild of cover crop pioneer and innovator, Steve Groff. “Cover Crop Innovators is open to any and all people with an interest in making cover crops work, both for themselves and for others,” he says. “Farmers, consultants and agronomists, seed and equipment company agronomists, educators and researchers, as well as soil and water quality advocates are all welcome.”

Groff has farmed all of his life near Holtwood, in southeastern Pennsylvania. He’s worked with university researchers and conducted cover crop research on his own farm for two decades, and knows how challenging it can be to get answers to difficult questions about how to get started, which cover crop varieties fit best into your operation, what to do when things don’t work as planned, and more.

When you join this new group, you’ll be invited to a members-only Closed Facebook Group, which means no one from the public can see content or know who is in the group. Once you become a member, you will be sent a link to the Facebook group, where you can ask questions, share from your experiences, or simply monitor the discussions. Not on Facebook? No Problem. A provision has been made to access the weekly webinars via a password protected link.

Once a week, Groff will host a live webinar based on questions or discussion topics brought up the previous week. Members will receive an access link for this webinar. Members will be able to submit questions by email or Direct Message to Groff before each weekly webinar, so he can prepare a targeted presentation. Time may also be given to answer live questions from members.

Once a month, a guest presenter will join Groff’s webinar to speak on his or her area of cover crop expertise. Members will receive advance notice as to who will present and what their topic will be. He promises that these guest presenters will be known cover crop experts from around the world. These sessions will be recorded, so members who can’t join them live will be able to view them at their convenience.

For more information, or to join this brand-new organization, go to www.covercropinnovators.com.