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cornellcovercrops.bsky.social
Cover-crop commentary from Thomas Björkman, Cornell University Horticulture. covercrop.org Also @cropscover at X
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Cornell AgriTech lost our new USDA grape physiologist among other great recent hires in the germplasm unit on campus. These cuts are contrary to efficiency and contrary even to national food security.

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

The border cells leaving the root cap are really evident. They go on to live in the soil for some time and interact with soil microbes. How does this contribution vary among #covercrops? How much do these cells contribute to soil-aggregation processes?

submitted 4 days ago • 0 comments

A super new review of the stunning variety of genetic mechanisms that confer glyphosate resistance in weeds. #Covercrops are an essential tool for reducing the resistant individuals' selective advantage by preventing their seed production. www.sciencedirect.com/org/science/...

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

What rhizosphere functions do #covercrop roots provide that other crops in the rotation do inadequately? I hope people with answers share at Rhizosphere6.

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

The CA description says "Regenerative agriculture is not an endpoint, but a continuous implementation of practices that over time minimize inputs and environmental impacts and further enhances the ecosystem while maintaining or improving productivity, economic contributions and community benefits."

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

Do not forget to submit your abstracts for Rhizosphere 6! Deadline is Feb 28.

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Present your specialty crop work at #ASHS2025! We invite abstracts from academia, industry, Extension, and government! Early decision deadline is March 1st. Abstract Submission - ashs.conferences.rivervalley.io?tab=home ASHS 2025 info and registration ashs.org/page/ASHSAnn... #plantscience

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

It feels so weird to be preparing to head off to a conference to present my current scientific research while my friends and colleagues are losing their jobs, being silenced by a hostile, willfully and maliciously ignorant government, and so much uncertainty is ongoing for scientists in this country

submitted 7 days ago • 1 comment

The CDC has an ultra-competitive 2-year program to train "the best of the best" to lead public health labs. Most of the current class were terminated over the weekend. www.science.org/content/arti... (by @meredithwadman.bsky.social)

submitted 8 days ago • 579 comments

It matters that scientists speak out against what is being done to US science. Staying silent is neither "objective" nor "staying out of politics". Silence now *is* political - it supports the status quo, says "nothing to worry about". We need to sound the alarm. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

submitted 7 days ago • 34 comments

Rye is the winter workhorse of #covercrops. What traits would make it work better? Cornell breeder Ginny Moore is on this assignment! Help her ID top priorities for improvement. cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0I

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Cornell Cover Crop and Soil Health field day will be April 24 2025. See the schedule and--RSVP. www.covercropbreeding.com/events

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Join us for #ASHS2025! 28 July - 1 August in New Orleans Conference information ashs.org/general/cust... Register at ashs.org/event/2025Ne... Submit an abstract at ashs.conferences.rivervalley.io #invasiveplantresearch #plantresearch #agscience #foodscience #SustainableAg

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

“Thousands of employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been fired since Thursday” “USDA also cited that the department had terminated 78 contracts, which totaled more than $132 million. Additionally, more than 1,000 contracts are currently under review for potential termination”

submitted 13 days ago • 9 comments

What is the USDA equivalent as a message to the agricultural community?

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

Cover crops and other soil BMPs will be a session at the Canadian Soc of Hort Sci in Kelowna this June. Laura VanEerd, chair. Check it out: agm2025.cshs.ca

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

This is having terrible impact here. ARS has hired some excellent scientists recently and now they have been fired for no reason and with no notice. This is having deep negative impacts across campus where we work closely with ARS and with USDA funding.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

MCCC webinar at noon CST today "Managing Risks When Using Herbicides in a Cover Crop System" Liz Stahl, Minnesota Extension & Dan Smith, Wisconsin. iastate.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #killontime, not too soon unintentionally.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

A new paper on sustainable ag says "Scientists’ limited experience in reflecting on their guiding assumptions...hinders interdisciplinary dialogue and limits the usefulness of science." Will all sustainability scientists agree, but also agree that it's the other guys? www.nature.com/articles/s41...

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

I have found that agricultural systems also display emergent properties that cannot be explained through plant physiology. But those properties can be studied!

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

I wrote an extension bulletin on "Growing Cover Crops in Alaska" This is a beginner's resource. Cover crops can be grown in any size garden or farm. Don't let anyone tell you that they only grow in the south. www.uaf.edu/ces/publicat...

submitted 45 days ago • 0 comments

In ag production, we try to maximize #soilhealth, eg through #covercrops. It is amazing to see Pleurocoronis pluriseta, a composite, with its roots in an undetectable crack in granite yet it gets enough water to grow in the Sonoran desert.

submitted 55 days ago • 0 comments

Designing #covercrop practices to meet several management goals requires a lot of information. This paper provides an excellent example for a crop whose responses were not yet known. Sunflower was badly suppressed by rye, the "easy" cover crop for many. A legume was necessary, but needed a partner.

submitted 64 days ago • 1 comment