Stephen Fulford, a 3rd generation farmer, grows peanuts, soybeans and corn in the Red Hills region of northern Florida. He planted his first cover crop of cereal rye in 2009, and this year switched from a spreader to a no-till drill, which has allowed him to begin planting other cover crops such as clover, ryegrass and winter peas.

His farm is 90 percent dryland and many of his fields are highly erodible. One of the main benefits he has seen from cover crops is that the surface residue and improved soil quality allow for better moisture retention and protection against erosion.