About Andrea Basche

Andrea Basche is a PhD student at Iowa State University co-majoring in Sustainable Agriculture and Crop Production & Physiology. Andrea is a member of the modeling and systems analysis objective of the Sustainable Corn project. Her research interests include cropping system diversification and climate change adaptation.

Cover Crops and Climate Change: The Value of Modeling

I am using a modeling approach to answer questions about the ability of cover crops to mitigate climate risks, as described in a recent video produced in collaboration with the Sustainable Corn Project communication team.

The conservation community of researchers, farmers and practitioners champion the use of cover crops in the Midwest for numerous environmental benefits: reducing water pollution, nutrient recycling, weed suppression, erosion prevention, providing livestock feed, you name it. We also hear anecdotes about cover crops protecting the soil in periods of heavy rain, but what about cover crops in the context of climate change? Cover Crop Soil SamplingThis question is a priority for researchers on the Sustainable Corn project. Climate scientists have documented increases in precipitation intensity over the last several decades in the Midwest, and they anticipate even more in the future. So, can cover crops help mitigate those climate risks?  Continue reading