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Sep. 28, 2022 12 pm RegenPGC Co-Project Director D. Raj Raman will discuss the challenges and benefits of cover cropping systems that employ perennial groundcover.
Ames, Iowa – The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place Sep. 28 at noon CDT will feature D. Raj Raman, Morrill Professor, Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and project director at Regenerating America’s Working Landscapes to Enhance Natural Resources and Public Goods through Perennial Groundcover (RegenPGC). Raman’s research includes technoeconomic modeling of bioprocessing systems, and he has been collaborating since 2017 with Ken Moore, the Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University, on a transdisciplinary project focused on perennial groundcover. Participants in Iowa Learning Farms Conservation Webinars are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.
In the webinar, “Developing Large-Scale, Reliable Perennial Groundcover Systems – Challenges & Approaches from RegenPGC,” Raman will highlight the current state of research, practical applications of cover crops and how perennial groundcover (PGC) could become a lower barrier-to-entry approach to cover cropping which could accelerate adoption. He will also discuss technical and non-technical challenges to realizing broad utilization of PGC. In addition, Raman will provide insights into the multiple critical ecosystem services cover crops contribute to the overall health and productivity of cropland.
“Cover crops have been a talking point in agriculture for years, but adoption rates are low, and our research is pointing to different ways to take advantage of the known conservation benefits through practices that may have stronger appeal for farmers,” said Raman. “We understand and appreciate both the promise and challenges of making PGC adoption a viable approach throughout the upper Midwest, and are eager to draw attention to the potential of perennial groundcover farming systems that could become widely deployed as a conservation practice.”
Webinar Access Instructions
To participate in the live webinar, shortly before noon CDT Sep. 28:
- Click this URL, or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172
- Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 364 284 172
Or, join from a dial-in phone line:
- Dial: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923
- Meeting ID: 364 284 172
The webinar will also be recorded and archived on the ILF website, where it can be watched at any time. Archived webinars are available at: https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/webinars.
A Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) has been applied for. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.
Images: Raj Raman & Perennial Groundcover (PGC) Farming in Practice
ILF Contact: Alena Whitaker, Water and Natural Resources Specialist (515.294.2473)
Iowa Learning Farms is an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach conservation and water quality education program.
