The latest Cover Crop Survey released earlier this month will be highlighted at the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) Farm & Lawn Seed Conference, coming up November 5-6 in Kansas City.

Since 2014, ASTA and its members have helped support this important survey conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) with funding from USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Past ASTA chair Risa DeMasi of Grassland Oregon says the conference will feature SARE’s Rob Myers and Bill Buckner of the Noble Foundation who will discuss the report and the bright future for cover crops. “We have over 700 attendees from different types of seed companies, and those companies come from all over the U.S.,” said DeMasi. The meeting is always held in Kansas City at the Westin the two days before the NAFB annual convention.

DeMasi says the increased adoption of cover crops shown by these surveys means the industry should start thinking ahead 5-10 years “in order to produce enough cover crop seed and the right options growers are going to want to be more precise in their planting…the goals are huge.”

Audio file: Interview with Risa DeMasi, Grassland Oregon