The popular “Midwest Cover Crops Field Guide”, written by members of the Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC), is now available as a mobile application. The Midwest Cover Crops Field Scout mobile app brings the resources of the pocket-sized field guide, including additional photos, to your tablet or smartphone.
“Producers who want to prevent soil erosion, improve nutrient cycling, sustain their soils, and protect the environment have been returning to a very old practice: planting cover crops. Although farmers have been using cover crops for centuries, today’s producers are part of a generation that has little experience with them. Many growers find they lack the experience and information necessary to take advantage of all the potential benefits cover crops can offer. That inexperience can lead to costly mistakes.” – Excerpt taken from the “Getting Started” section of mobile app.
This app will help producers effectively select, grow, and use cover crops in your farming systems. While this app isn’t the final word on cover crops, it is meant to be a useful resource.
On the opening menu, users can access several different cover crop related resources on the mobile app (Figure 1). When users click the “Getting Started” section, they will be able to find a wide variety of information, ranging from choosing a cover crop, when to plant, climate considerations, and much more (Figure 2). Other opening menu options will lead users to detailed information on seeding methods, weed and herbicide concerns, pests, cover crop species, and a pure live seed calculator.
Figure 1. Screenshot of the opening menu on the Midwest Cover Crops Field Scout mobile app.
Figure 2. Screenshot of the Getting Started menu.
The app is free to download, but does require a minimal annual subscription of $2.99 to unlock all the content. The app is available in both an Android and iOS version. Simply type “cover crop” in the search bar in the Android Market or Apple’s App Store to find the app.
The app was produced cooperatively by the MCCC and the Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center.
DeAnn Presley, Soil Management specialist
deann@ksu.edu
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