Paul DeLaune

Many growers in drier environments on the Great Plains could benefit from cover crops but worry that adding covers to their rotation will take too much moisture away from their cash crops and potentially hurt yields.

During the 2019 National Cover Crop Summit, March 20-21, 2019 — a free-to-attend online event featuring a series of knowledge-building sessions taught by the foremost authorities on covers today — Texas A&M environmental soil scientist, Paul DeLaune, will share the results of two multi-year studies. These Texas A&M University studies carried out on the effects of cover crops are not only on yields in continuous cotton and wheat systems but also important metrics, such as water infiltration and retention, changes in soil properties and soil microbial activity. Registration to attend the National Cover Crop Summit can be made at CoverCropSummit.com.

DeLaune's is one of several educational video sessions that will go live each day from March 20-21, allowing National Cover Crop Summit attendees the opportunity to choose the speakers and sessions they’re most interested in and participate on their own schedule. Attendees will also be able to ask questions during the presentation and get timely feedback from the speakers, enhancing the interactive and educational nature of this inaugural event.

The first 9 presenters to headline the National Cover Crop Summit have been announced, along with their session topics. A detailed overview of each presentation can be found CoverCropSummit.com.

Additional speakers for this event will announced in the coming weeks. The initial list of committed presenters and topics includes:

  • Steve Groff, a cover crop consultant, Holtwood, Pa. — ​5 Mindsets that Successful Cover Croppers Have in Common
  • Shawn Tiffany, a rancher at Tiffany Cattle Co., Herington, Kan. — Improving Farm and Feedlot Soil Health with Cover Crops
  • Erin Silva, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis. — Rolling Cover Crops Successfully in No-Till Systems
  • Damon Reabe, a cover crop applicator and co-owner of Dairyland Aviation — Finding Success with Aerially Seeded Cover Crops
  • Tom Cotter, a farmer from Austin, Minn. — Integrating Timely Interseeding of Cover Crops for Soil Health and Grazing Benefits
  • Chris Teachout, a farmer from Shenandoah, Iowa — Realizing the Potential of Alternative Row Spacings and Biomass-Building Cover Crops
  • Paul Delaune, Texas A&M Environmental Soil Scientist — Examining Cover Crop Benefits in Continuous Wheat and Cotton Rotations in a Semi-Arid Environment
  • Rob Myers, Regional Director of Extension Programs — A 360-Degree Perspective on How Cover Crops Affect Farm Profitability
  • John Wallace, weed scientist, Penn State University — Plan ahead: Will my herbicide program prevent successful cover crop establishment?

An Interview with Paul DeLaune
Paul DeLaune Video Interview

In a video interview, posted to the National Cover Crop Summit website, Paul DeLaune discusses his presentation with Cover Crop Strategies senior editor, John Dobberstein.

Through the America Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), a total of 9 continuing education credits have been approved for the National Cover Crop Summit. A list of approved sessions and their credit eligibility can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions on the event website.

Title sponsors making the cover crop learning and networking opportunities possible include Montag Mfg., Fennig Equipment, Gandy, I&J Mfg., Underground Agriculture, Walnut Creek Seeds, LLC.