Dr. Matt Ruark: Cover Crops and Soil Fertility | Ep. 137

In this Corn Special Series episode of The Crop Science Podcast Show, Dr. Matt Ruark, Professor and Extension Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains how cover crops interact with manure nitrogen in corn systems. He discusses Wisconsin dairy rotations, cereal rye biomass, manure nitrogen credits, nutrient cycling, soil health tests, and why long-term field data matters for practical recommendations. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Cover crop nitrogen can stay in the soil system, but it is not released quickly enough for that season’s corn crop."

Meet the guest: Dr. Matt Ruark https://www.linkedin.com/in/mdruark/ is Professor and Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management in the Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His nutrient and agroecosystems laboratory focuses on nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon cycling in dairy, grain, and potato cropping systems. This includes fertilizer, manure, and cover crop management, as well as soil health management. Learn from Dr. Ruark on The Crop Science Podcast Show, available on all major platforms.

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What you will learn:

(00:00) Highlight

(00:55) Introduction

(01:40) Wisconsin systems

(04:44) Cover crop biomass

(09:45) Nitrogen management

(16:57) Nitrogen cycling