Instructor(s): Dr. Samuel Wortman and Dr. Andrea Basche
Number of Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: AGRO 131 (Plant Science) or AGRO 278 (Botany); AGRO 153 (Soil Resources) or equivalent
Description: Explore the management, environmental, economic, and social considerations of integrating cover crops across a diversity of agricultural production systems. Grow cover crops, measure benefits and tradeoffs, and apply knowledge to make management and policy recommendations.
Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives
- Define cover crop types and describe characteristics of cover crop species and functional groups and their agroecosystem services.
- Manage and make decisions about cover crops across a diversity of climates, soils, and cropping systems.
- Measure the short- and long-term economic impacts of cover crop management decisions.
- Quantify the environmental benefits of cover crops using digital tools and describe how those benefits are influenced by management decisions across environments.
- Apply cover crop system knowledge to design and assess policy and social initiatives to help overcome barriers to cover crop adoption.
Course Requirements & Materials:
- Technical Requirements: PC or laptop/notebook, high-speed Internet access, Windows software package. All materials will be available via Canvas.
This Course is Ideal For…
- Graduate students interested in learning more about cover crops and agroecosystems
Questions About This Course or How to Register? Contact Lisa Hilfiker at lisa.hilfiker@unl.edu or (402) 472-8393.
Online Course
This course will include a weekly mix of pre-recorded lectures, live meetings of faculty and students across multiple states through virtual exchange, and experimental lab- and field-based studies. Join faculty and students from across the country to learn how cover crops perform differently and serve different niches in contrasting climates and agroecosystems! Other participating universities include:
- Cornell University
- Michigan State University
- University of Kentucky
- University of Maryland
- Clemson University
- University of New Hampshire
All Zoom lectures will be recorded so students can participate asyncrhonously. However, students will be mailed some seed for a hands-on learning experiment.