Land Stewardship Project

Land Stewardship Project
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Long Range Plan
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
    • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
    • Past LSP Projects
    • LSP Publications
  • The Latest
    • 40th Anniversary Events
    • Tell us an LSP Story
    • CSA Farm Directory
    • Upcoming Events
    • News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • LSP in the News
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Land Stewardship Letter
    • LIVE-WIRE Sign-up
    • Myth Busters
    • Fact Sheets
    • Farm Crisis Resources
  • For Farmers & Landowners
    • New Farmers
      • Farm Beginnings Class
      • Journeyperson Course
      • Farm Dreams Workshop
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Accessing Farmland
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Beginning Farmer Profiles
    • Retiring Farmers & Landowners
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Conservation Leases
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Land Transition Tools
      • Transition Stories
    • Soil Health
      • Cover Crops
      • Grazing
      • No-till
      • Microbiology
      • Soil Builders’ Network
      • Soil Builders’ E-Letters
    • Cropping Systems Calculator
    • Conservation Leases
  • Creating Change
    • Policy Campaigns
      • Soil Health & Climate Change
      • Regional Food Systems
      • Healthcare
      • Factory Farms
      • Federal Policy
      • State Policy
      • Developing Leadership
      • Caucus for Land Stewardship
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Get Involved
    • Take Action!
    • Upcoming Events
    • Land Stewardship Action Fund
    • Connect with LSP
      • Stay Connected
      • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
      • Volunteer
      • Shop
      • Legacy Giving
    • Network with LSP Members
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Soil Health
  • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
  • Stay Connected
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Search
More...

Cover Crop Field Day on Tom Cotter Farm July 10 in Austin

June 19, 2018

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • email

AUSTIN, Minn. — A field day focused on cover crops, interseeding, grazing cover crop mixes, and roller crimping will be held Tuesday, July 10, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Tom Cotter farm, 50203 205th St., in Austin. Registration for this free event, which is co-sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project and the Iowa Organic Association, will begin at 12:45 p.m., and there will be burgers afterwards. RSVP by calling Toby Cain, Iowa Organic Association, at 563-447-0462, or Sarah Fillius, Land Stewardship Project, at 507-523-3366.

Cotter’s family has been farming in Mower County for 140 years and they have worked with cover crops for the past 19 years. In 2016 Tom and his late father, Michael, were given the Outstanding Conservationist Award by the Mower County Soil & Water Conservation District. In 2017, Tom was honored as a National Wildlife Federation Cover Crop Champion. The July 10 event will showcase the innovative work that Cotter and his family have done to build soil and protect water quality on their farm.

The Cotter farm is diverse, with fields of conventional corn and soybeans, as well as land being transitioned to organic. The operation has beef cattle and sweet corn, and the Cotters experiment with interseeding cover crops into corn, planting organic soybeans into roller-crimped rye, and utilizing warm season cover crops. To maximize his soil building efforts, Cotter grazes beef cattle on cover crops deep into the fall. Cover crops provide many benefits to farmers — they help increase soil-water capacity, reduce erosion, improve soil structure and health, suppress weeds and break pest cycles.

“I believe to get healthy crops and healthy food you need to start with healthy soils,” said Cotter. “That happens by giving food and shelter to soil life. Cover crops do that. We started putting no-till and strip-till together with cover crops and then we saw soil health benefits skyrocket. My cover crops have helped my reduced tillage practices work better.”

This event is made possible with support from the USDA’s Risk Management Agency.

-30-

Category: News Releases

Contact

Sarah Fillius, Land Stewardship Project, 507-523-3366, e-mail

Montevideo

117 South First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

180 E. Main Street
Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

Minneapolis

821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

Copyright © 2022 Land Stewardship Project. All rights reserved.

https://landstewardshipproject.org/cover-crop-field-day-on-tom-cotter-farm-july-10-in-austin