The Midwest Cover Crops Council's annual meeting and cover crop conference will be held in Dubuque, Iowa in February 2026. Join us in celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Midwest Cover Crops Council, whose mission is to empower a network of producers, landowners, researchers, industry professionals, agencies, Extension specialists, and government stakeholders to increase cover crop adoption.

The Midwest Cover Crops Council’s annual meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 10th, and will be followed by a day of cover crop education on February 11th at the Grand River Center in Dubuque, Iowa. Producers, students, scientists, and industry partners will come together to discuss current cover crop topics and their significance to agriculture and conservation. A range of topics centered around the management and utilization of cover crops will be presented by regional university, farmer, and government experts. Around 300 researchers, educators, and farmers from around the region are expected to attend. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about integrating cover crops into your farm's operations. The cover crop conference features breakout sessions focusing on cover crops in row crop systems, cover crops used for livestock forage and grazing resources, and conservation-related topics.

Row crop breakout sessions include:

• Cover crop species selection and establishment (Dr. Mark Licht, Iowa State University)
• Pythium and allelopathy (Dr. Alison Robertson, Iowa State University)
• Cover crops and nutrients ahead of corn (Dr. Matt Ruark, University of Wisconsin, and Dr. Shalamar Armstrong, Purdue University)
• Planter setup for planting green (Dr. Brian Luck, University of Wisconsin)
   

Forage and Grazing breakout sessions include:

• Mixtures vs. monocultures (Dr. Kim Cassida, Michigan State University)
• Cover crop grazing quality (Denise Schwab, Iowa State University)
• Quality, quantity, and forage timing (Dr. Brad Heins, University of Minnesota)
• Planting alfalfa into green cereal rye (Dr. Marta Kohmann, University of Wisconsin)

Conservation breakout sessions include:

• How to talk to your landlord or tenant about conservation (Landon Baumgartner and Josh Bendorf, University of Wisconsin Extension)
• A decade of monitoring conservation practices in the Black Hawk Lake watershed (Dr. Michelle Soupir, Iowa State University)
• Wind erosion and conservation practices (Zack Smith, Iowa farmer)
• Increased working days with conservation practices (Dr. Stefan Gailans, Practical Farmers of Iowa)

Students and professionals are invited to participate in the poster session at the Midwest Cover Crops Council annual meeting on February 10. The poster registration deadline is January 20, 2026. Only students are eligible for prizes by entering the poster competition. Students may
submit an academic research poster on cover crops or continuous living cover. Learn more about the poster session at www.midwestcovercrops.org/meetings/.

Registration costs $110 per day if registered before January 10th, and $125 per day for registrations after January 10th. Learn more and register online at https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/meetings/.