Researchers went out about 2-3 weeks after farmers started grazing a cover crop field to measure standing and post-grazing cover crop biomass, and soil health before, the day after, and 2-3 weeks after grazing. One big factor determining profit was the number of times the cover crop could be grazed, and the quantity of grazed biomass consumed.

The two-year research project, based at MSU’s Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Coastal Plain Branch in Newton, established row crops and cover crops that encompassed a variety of species suitable for grazing that led to increased livestock weight gain.

Cover crops are typically used by producers in dryland no-till cropping systems to improve soil health, reduce soil compaction, enhance nutrient cycling, improve soil structure, and improve water infiltration. Producers may be able to realize some income from cover crops by grazing or haying them. But is this a good idea or will it cancel out any benefit the cover crops would otherwise have on soil properties and residue cover?