Incorporating tubers, such as these radishes, into the cover crop mixture can help break up compacted soil and add organic matter that will improve the soil’s water-holding capacity. A team of South Dakota State University precision agriculture faculty and SDSU Extension specialists, led by assistant professor Ali Mirzakhani Nafchi, will demonstrate how varying the cover crop mixture and seeding rate within a field can improve outcomes The three-year precision cover cropping project is funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Innovation grant.

Assistant professor Ali Mirzakhani Nafchi leads a team of 10 South Dakota State University faculty members and Extension specialists demonstrating how a precision cover cropping system can improve outcomes.