Iowa Cover Crop giving away seed to inspire, educate students on benefits of soil health
All Iowa FFA chapters are eligible to receive up to 10 acres of free cover crops from the state’s leading cover crop seed supplier and service provider, Iowa Cover Crop, Jefferson, Iowa.
“We are donating seed to educate and inspire the next generation of soil health stewards,” said Megan Holz, Iowa Cover Crop marketing director and project coordinator. “We hope high school students from river to river will gain first-hand experience applying and growing cover crops.”
Chapters may select oats or rye for their free seed.
“The FFA motto includes ‘Learning to Do, Doing to Learn…’ so Iowa Cover Crop and our distributors are providing up to 10 acres of seed at no charge so students can learn about the soil health and water benefits of cover crops in a hands-on way,” Holz said.
FFA advisors or plot managers can secure up to 10 free acres of cover crop seed by using the online form https://forms.gle/EM7PUKaeduhMtaDT6.
“While the seed is being offered at no cost to Iowa FFA programs, we’d love to see and hear from participating chapters as their cover crop matures by posting photos or videos to our Iowa Cover Crop Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/iowacovercrop,” she said.
Cover crops are now seeded on more than 2 million acres in Iowa, delivering soil health and water quality benefits, according to the Iowa Department of Land Stewardship.
Iowa Cover Crop also recommends resources from Practical Farmers of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Land Stewardship for those using cover crops for the first season.
