A Year of Celebration and Scouting the Year Ahead

The season of winter is upon us with blustery winds and frost-tipped corn residue. I have been farming on my land in Illinois for over 20 years and utilizing cover crops for eight of those years. Most of us in the Midwest have finished harvesting the last of our crops and seeding winter cover crops. I know first-hand the beneficial effects cover crops have on my soil and for my crops. Cover crops can be one of the best components for creating resilient farms and landscapes.

Cover crops can protect water quality, improve soil health, and have the potential to mitigate climate change. Beyond cover crops, there are many other ways to improve one’s soil health. Exploring other conservation practices, like no-till or buffer strips, to implement on my land takes a lot of strategizing, learning, and sometimes takes multiple tries to finally get the right result. Just like I search for ways to improve my own farming operation, I’ve been hard at work with my AFT team examining and improving the work we do.

The year 2022 is upon us and I am reflecting on all the amazing results from the Midwest regional team this past year. We had a lot of strategizing, examining, learning, but with a whole lot of accomplishments which makes me very proud to be both a leader and member of this team.