NEW OpTIS DATA FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW 2.5x RISE IN CORN BELT COVER CROPS

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Callie North, CTIC (north@ctic.org; (317) 450-9137) or Steve Werblow (steve@stevewerblow.com; (541) 951-4212)     NEW OpTIS DATA FROM SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW 2.5x RISE IN CORN BELT COVER CROPS Corn Belt cover crop acres climbed from 2.8 million to 7.5 million between 2015 and 2021   WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (February 2, 2023)—A new tranche of data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS) tracked a 250% climb in cover crop acreage—from 2.8 million acres in 2015 to 7.5 million acres in 2021—led by row crop farmers in the southern portion of the region. The Conservation Technology Information Center (...

CALLING ALL FARMERS: SHARE YOUR VIEWS ON COVER CROPS IN NATIONAL SURVEY BY SARE, CTIC AND ASTA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Contact: Callie North, CTIC (north@ctic.org); (317) 450-9137 or Steve Werblow, (steve@stevewerblow.com); (541) 951-4212 or Rob Myers, University of Missouri (myersrob@missouri.edu); 573-882-1547 or Bethany Shively, ASTA (bshively@betterseed.org); (703) 837-8140 x332  CALLING ALL FARMERS: SHARE YOUR VIEWS ON COVER CROPS IN NATIONAL SURVEY BY SARE, CTIC AND ASTA   A national survey launched today to gather insight from farmers who plant cover crops, as well as farmers who don't. Farmers are encouraged to access the National Cover Crop Survey online at bit.ly/CoverCrop23. The anonymous survey typically takes 10 to 15 ...

Conservation Technology Information Center Announces Creation of Cover Crop Coaches Program and Hires Dan Coffman as Minnesota Soil Health Specialist

Conservation Technology Information Center Announces Creation of Cover Crop Coaches Program and Hires Dan Coffman as Minnesota Soil Health Specialist     WEST LAFAYETTE, NOVEMBER 16, 2023- Thanks to a generous grant from General Mills, a global food company deeply committed to regenerative agriculture, the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) is excited to announce the creation of their farmer-led Cover Crop Coaches program.   This new program aims to further support farmers across Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota with the knowledge and resources needed to successfully adopt cover crops. Cover crops enhance soil health, sequester carbon and reduce soil erosion and ...

CTIC Hires Catie Geib as New Soil Health Specialist in Wisconsin and Announces Cover Crop Webinar Series

CTIC Hires Catie Geib as New Soil Health Specialist in Wisconsin and Announces Cover Crop Webinar Series WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, September 6, 2023 –Soil health specialist Catie Geib has joined the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), a 41-year-old conservation agriculture non-profit, to provide technical support to Wisconsin farmers under the Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) program. The Farmers for Soil Health program provides payments for new and existing cover crop users. CTIC will provide technical assistance to farmers participating in FSH in Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota, and is partnering with the state soybean associations in all three states to promote ...

CTIC To Lead Development of the CSA Connector for a New USDA Climate Smart Partnership Program

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (September 22, 2022)  — The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and Houston Engineering, will lead development of a new online tool, the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Connector, as a key element of a new project selected last week for funding by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities program.   The overall project is being led by the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment, which was awarded up to $35 million by USDA to conduct this new partnership pilot. Through their global ...

IPCC Land Report Highlights Importance of Implementing and Tracking Conservation Practices

By adopting conservation practices like cover crops and reduced tillage or no-till, farmers can help reduce the effects of climate change, including soil erosion, declining land productivity and desertification, according to Climate Change and Land, a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released today. More than 100 experts from 52 countries contributed to the report.   Mike Komp, executive director of the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) in West Lafayette, Indiana, points out that the IPCC report puts farmers at the center of the worldwide strategy to keep global temperatures from rising another 2 degrees Centigrade (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Scientists say ...

• IPCC Report Release

NATIONAL FARMER SURVEY DOCUMENTS A WIDE RANGE OF COVER CROP BENEFITS AS ACREAGE CONTINUES TO EXPAND

  Despite the crippling rainfall that significantly delayed planting across much of the country in 2019, more than 90% of farmers participating in a national cover crop survey reported that cover crops allowed them to plant earlier or at the same time as non-cover-cropped fields. Among those who had "planted green," seeding cash crops into growing cover crops, 54% said the practice helped them plant earlier than on other fields.   Those findings were among several new insights from the 2019-2020 National Cover Crop Survey, conducted by the non-profit Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), with financial support from the Sustainable Agriculture ...

NEW COVER CROP SURVEY DATA CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS

For More Information Contact: Callie North, CTIC (north@ctic.org); (317) 450-9137 Rob Myers, University of Missouri (myersrob@missouri.edu); 573-882-1547 or Bethany Shively, ASTA (bshively@betterseed.org); (703) 837-8140 x332     NEW COVER CROP SURVEY DATA CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS National survey finds incentive payments boost cover crops, while 9 in 10 farmers intend to stick with cover crops after payments end               (August 8, 2023)—A new national cover crop survey report released today challenges assumptions on the role of incentive payments in cover crop adoption. Incentives play a key role in ...

New CTIC Executive Director Mike Komp Takes the Helm

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (April 24, 2019)—The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) welcomes its new Executive Director, Mike Komp. The role will call upon Komp's skills to build collaborative networks that help promote and champion conservation farming systems, secure funding for new programs, and—increasingly—help analyze and disseminate digital data on conservation practices.   As interest in sustainable farming practices grows among farmers, consumers, and policymakers, CTIC's role is expanding, noted Terry Tindall of J.R. Simplot, Chair of CTIC's Board of Directors. So is the role Komp has been selected to fill.   "...

New PED Talks Video Series Digs into Soil Health

New PED Talks Video Series Digs into Soil Health   West Lafayette, Ind., Oct. 29, 2019 -- A series of 10-to-15-minute, science-centered “PED Talks” on soil health has been posted on YouTube. Soil peds are aggregated particles of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Like their namesake, PED Talks combine soil-related topics including explanations of soil health, how we can improve it, and the progress that’s being made to ensure we have the healthy soils necessary to feed, clothe and fuel the world in the future.   The PED Talks series was created by the Conservation Technology ...

OpTIS Data Available for Iowa, Illinois and Indiana

Remote Sensing Technology Drives Conservation Solutions New Data Show Soil Health Practices on IA, IL and IN Farmland Is Moving in the Right Direction Today marks the first release of regional-scale data from the Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), a new tool that has the potential to unlock conservation solutions for a variety of food and agricultural supply chain stakeholders. These data document the level of adoption of soil health practices for Illinois, Indiana  and Iowa from 2005 to 2018. By the end of July, the same data will be available for the entire Corn Belt—an area extending from ...

OpTIS Data for Indiana Available; More States' Data Coming Soon

  A massive new data set chronicling residue management and winter cover crop use in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana from 2005 through 2018 is now in the final stages of preparation for release on CTIC's website. The resource—the Operational Tillage Information System, or OpTIS—uses publicly available remote sensing data to monitor the adoption of no-till, conservation tillage, and winter cover crops. Data covering the rest of the Corn Belt, extending from eastern Ohio to eastern Kansas and Nebraska and from the Missouri Bootheel to the Red River Valley of North Dakota, will be available in the next ...

Parting Thoughts On The Future of Conservation Agriculture

By David Gustafson, departing interim executive director, CTIC   With the welcome arrival of CTIC’s new Executive Director Mike Komp, I bid a fond farewell to this interim role. There are many to thank for this wonderful opportunity, and I begin with Chair Terry Tindall, a true gentleman and also a genuine champion for conservation agriculture. I also offer sincere thanks to Vice Chair Mark Schmidt, Treasurer Mark White, and the entire CTIC Board of Directors. The CTIC staff have also been a true joy to get to know, and I look forward to continuing to work alongside ...

Registration open for August 20-21 Conservation In Action Tour in Iowa!

Register Online Online registration is open for CTIC's 12th annual Conservation In Action Tour, which will include a packed program of farm visits, facility tours, informative presentations and an up-close look at real-world conservation practices in central Iowa on August 20-21. The Conservation at the Leading Edge tour will begin the afternoon of Tuesday, August 20, with a keynote speaker and social reception at the beautiful World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in downtown Des Moines. Watch the CIA Tour Invitation video   Wednesday, August 21, will be a full day of touring, including stops at:   Couser Cattle Company in ...

Ryan Heiniger Joins Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) as Executive Director

Ryan Heiniger Joins Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) as Executive Director   For Immediate Release For more information, contact... Callie North | north@ctic.org | (317) 450-9137 Steve Werblow | steve@stevewerblow.com | (541) 488-8610     WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (November 8, 2022)—The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) welcomes Ryan Heiniger as its new executive director. Heiniger is a fourth-generation Iowa farmer, wildlife biologist, and has been a non-profit leader for more than two decades. CTIC board chair Mark White of Syngenta says Heiniger's combination of on-the-ground conservation experience and history of leadership in conservation-oriented organizations made him ...

The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Inducts Frank Lessiter Into Its Hall of Fame

For more information, contact: Callie North, north@ctic.org/ (317) 450-9137 Ryan Heiniger, heiniger@ctic.org/ (319) 768-8348   The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) Inducts Frank Lessiter Into Its Hall of Fame The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) inducted editor, publisher and conservation agriculture advocate Frank Lessiter into its CTIC Hall of Fame during the 16th Annual CTIC Conservation in Action Tour on Tuesday night, July 11, 2023 in Frankenmuth, Michigan. CTIC is a hub for information and ideas that advance and promote conservation agriculture systems that help people along the agricultural supply chain achieve their economic and environmental sustainability goals. Hall of ...