Dan Towery and Hans Kok, Ph.D., are Indiana’s new Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI) team.
Towery and Kok will work closely with farm operators around the state to encourage the adoption of long term continuous no-till practices utilizing cover crops, nutrient and pest management, precision farming technology, and the use of conservation buffers.
Towery has been a strong advocate for no-till cropping systems for decades, as an agronomist with the USDA and, in the past four years, a cover crop project manager for the Oregon Ryegrass Commission.
Kok has worked on conservation tillage and bioenergy programs for both Idaho and Washington.
“It’s time to rediscover and unlock the power of biology within our soils,” said Les Zimmerman, co-chair of the Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts’ Natural Resources Committee. “With the CCSI, Indiana has an opportunity to be a leader in the Midwest in addressing critical conservation tillage issues and other serious issues such as Gulf hypoxia, carbon sequestration and a reduction of fuel consumption.”
“These strategies employed together as a system will help maintain and increase production while preserving and enhancing our precious soil and water resources, reducing fuel consumption and optimizing input utilization in the bargain,” Zimmerman said.
Tags: Ag Conservation Solutions, all cover crops, Annual ryegrass, annual ryegrass as a cover crop, carbon sequestration, Dan Towery, enhancing soil and water resources, No-Till, No-Till farming, optimizing input utilization, reduced use of fuel, ryegrass cover crop
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