Whether farmers practice no-till, plant cover crops, double crop, or simply achieve higher yields than a decade ago, crop residue is present in the field. This residue is sometimes referred to as “trash” because it can create challenges at planting. However, the nutritional value contained in residue plays an important role in feeding the following year’s crop and sustaining healthy soil—raising the question of whether that “trash” may actually be “treasure.” The challenge with this “treasure” is that it can be difficult to access, much like managing residue within modern cropping systems.

In this webinar, Dr. Connor Sible and Ava Isaacs review what crop residue is, how much producers are likely to encounter from year to year, and summarize recent residue management trials conducted by the Crop Physiology Lab at the University of Illinois.