Original article from AgriNews, written by Tom Doran.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Further updates have been made to a first-of-its-kind web tool to help Illinois farmers manage cover crops.
The free Cover Crop Decision Support Tool was developed by the University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications, with a collaborative team that included agronomists, climatologists and biological engineers.
The goal of the Cover Crop Decision Support Tool — covercrop.ncsa.illinois.edu — is to help provide site-specific answers to decisions not only surrounding the adoption, but also real-time management of cover crops.
Funding for the program is provided by the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council and the Walton Family Foundation. Initial seed funding also was provided by the McKnight Foundation and U of I.
Details of the funding and updates were provided in the Dec. 22 Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction podcast hosted by Todd Gleason, U of I media communications specialist.
Participants were Jonathan Coppess, assistant professor, U of I Agricultural & Consumer Economics; Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford; Rabin Bhattarai, associate professor, U of I Agricultural & Biological Engineering; and Shalamar Armstrong, associate professor, Purdue University Department of Agronomy.
The updates included providing improved weather forecasts, especially for the spring season, and improved estimates of nitrogen loss reduction.
“The idea comes out of the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy and the need for farmers to reduce the loss of nitrogen in particular in Illinois,” Coppess said.