The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place May 31 at noon CDT will feature Rabin Bhattarai, associate professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bhattarai discovers innovative ways to clean polluted waters. His research group develops sustainable engineering solutions to improve water quality and crop production through experimental studies and computer simulation models which can predict water quality and crop production at various scales.

In the webinar, “Can Cover Crops Still Provide Targeted Nutrient Loss Benefits in the Future?,” Bhattarai will provide an overview of impacts on water quality attributed to the extensive use of subsurface drainage in agricultural fields in the Midwestern U.S. which have contributed to local concerns as well as to the formation of the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. He will highlight the effectiveness of winter cover crops as an eco-efficient solution for reducing nitrate loss via sub-surface drainage channels in the maize-soybean system. Bhattarai will also discuss cost sharing incentives which have boosted practice adoption. In addition, he will offer insights into the long-term impacts of cover crops and discuss research efforts to better understand how climate change and other factors may affect efficacy.

“Winter cover crop adoption continues to rise, and their use has been identified as one of the most efficient practices not only for nutrient loss reduction but also for soil health improvement,” said Bhattarai. “Participants in this webinar should gain a better understanding of the long-term impacts of winter cover crops on soil, water-N and cash crop growth in the maize-soybean system, and how climate change will impact the nutrient loss and soil health benefits from cover crops.”

Shortly before noon CDT, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172