FARIBAULT, Minn. — At a time when agrichemical prices are through the roof, come learn how local farmers are using a different approach to build fertility and control weeds — cover cropping. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Faribault (530 4th St. NW), Minnesota farmers Mike Seifert, Paul Novotny and Martin Larsen will share their experiences experimenting with cover crops. Sign-in for this free Land Stewardship Project/Rice County Soil and Water Conservation District event begins at 12:30 p.m. To register by Feb. 20, call the Land Stewardship Project’s Maura Curry at 651-249-6308 or see https://bit.ly/LSPCoverCrops2022.

Directions: Head north on I-35 towards Faribault and take exit 55. Follow Lyndale Avenue and take a right onto MN-60 E./4th St. NW. Trinity Lutheran Church will be on the left side of the road. Park in the parking lot on the west side of the building (6th Street).

Cover crops create a wide variety of benefits, including increasing soil organic matter, slashing erosion and reducing input costs. Whether you are just considering planting some test acres of fall rye or you’re a seasoned cover cropper, join us to find the right strategy for implementing cover crops on your farm. Topics covered during this event include interseeding, diverse cover crop mixes, Kernza perennial cover, small grains and more.

Mike Seifert farms 100 acres near Jordan and has been using cover crops since 2018. He has found success with post-harvest rye and interseeding diverse mixes into corn. Paul Novotny farms 1,800 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa near Chatfield and, in conjunction with University of Minnesota Extension, experiments with Kernza and winter camelina. Martin Larsen no-tills 700 acres of corn, soybeans and oats near Byron. He has been able to expand his cover crop acres significantly by introducing small grains into his rotation and now underseeds his oats with clover.

-30-

Byron, Minn., farmer Martin Larsen.