Cover Crop Bus Tour Scheduled for September

Aug. 19, 2013

LINCOLN, Neb. — Registrations are now being accepted for a September bus tour of sites featuring no-till crop production, diverse rotations, cover crops and livestock grazing systems.

The Sept. 4-5 Nebraska Cover Crop Bus Tour will visit several research facilities and farms in central Nebraska, each offering a unique look at using cover crops in no-till systems, said Paul Jasa, UNL extension engineer and tour organizer.

The tour will leave from Kearney at 8 a.m. Sept. 4 and return there at 7 p.m. Sept. 5. Topics and stops will include:

– Current crops growing in last year's cover crops

– Cover crops in seed corn production

– Cover crops after wheat harvest

– Cover crops as a companion crop

– Cover crops for grazing or forage

– Green cover seed, near Bladen 

– Arrow Seed, Broken Bow

In addition, seasoned no-till farmers, Jasa and Ray Ward, owner of Ward Laboratories in Kearney, will be available on the bus for questions and discussion.

"Some of the best learning comes from the networking with other attendees on the bus," Jasa said.

Registrations are due Aug. 23 and will be limited to the first 50 who apply, with preference given to Nebraskans. The fee is $50 for Nebraska residents and producers, and $100 for non-Nebraskans and covers bus transportation, lodging and meals. There will be an extra charge of $50 for those requesting a single room. Complete details will be emailed to registrants.

To register, mail the registration form available at http://go.unl.edu/covertour_reg

and a check made out to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to Paul Jasa, extension engineer, 202 L.W. Chase Hall, Box 830726, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Neb., 68583-0726. Email/phone registrations and credit cards will not be accepted. No refund will be given for cancellations made after Aug. 27.

The tour is sponsored by UNL Extension, the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Arrow Seed, Aurora Coop, Green Cover Seed and Ward Laboratories.