Jimmy Emmons
No-till producer

Leedey, OK

Understanding Cover Crops and Their Positive Impact on the Soil

Jimmy is a long time resident of Dewey County, Oklahoma. The third generation family farmer and his wife Ginger farm 2000 acres of wheat, irrigated dairy alfalfa hay, canola and cover crops integrated with a cow-calf operation. Jimmy really wants share what he’s learned about soil health on his farm through workshops, field days and test plots. “I want my neighbors, my friends, other board members to be able to come and to learn a little bit about what we are doing. A lot of people think it’s just dirt—that all we have to do is put a little water and some nutrients on it.”  “My ‘ah-ha moment’ of getting into soil health was when a producer from Indiana showed photos and figures of his plots at a national conservation meeting. He wasn’t buying any fertilizer for his cash crop and he not only improved production, but lowered the cost of production,” he says. Jimmy will share his experience using cover crops for soil health improvement, increases of yield in cash crops and livestock grazing.