![]() “Many farmers with full tillage systems see outstanding yields, but the organic matter is decreasing,” Jackson said. He’s the first to admit changing his mindset about tillage and cover crops was a process. We are consistently at or above county yield averages.” “I can’t help but think some of that was attributed to the cover crop and the improvements in the soil structure given the fact we planted in the middle of June amid tremendously wet soils. ![]() “We harvested some record soybean yields last year,” said Jackson. Since adding cover crops to all his acres, the soil has greater water-holding capacity and he’s starting to see some weed suppression – all while reaching his corn and soybean production goals. ![]() He saw improvements in the soil’s ability to hold water through the years and in 2012, began experimenting with cover crops to rebuild organic matter and sequester nutrients. Jackson switched to no-till 25 years ago on his fairly flat to rolling land to eliminate soil erosion. He uses 4R Plus practices to achieve that goal. Mahaska County farmer Mark Jackson defines sustainability as having the economics of farming in balance with his community and the environment. April 2020 Jackson is a corn and soybean farmer in Mahaska County, Iowa.
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