PFI: Cover Crops, Cattle and Corn Cobs

Nicole Vernon grew up on Monck Farms, a 700-acre corn and soybean farm near Monticello, Iowa, where her parents emphasized sustainable farming and conservation practices. While at Iowa State University, Nicole bought her own 100-acre farm, raising corn, soybeans and cattle. She uses no-till and cover crops, and has restored prairie and wetlands. She has also partnered with ISU on water quality projects like using corn cobs as the carbon source in bioreactors to filter tile drainage water. Named the 2025 Iowa Conservation Woman of the Year, Nicole shows how conservation and row-cropping can thrive together.

Nicole is excited to have you join her at this field day to see how cover crops have extended forage opportunities for their cattle and paved the way to new practices, like intercropping and more.