Laura Van Erd from the University of Guelph discusses insights from her research on an 8 year cover crop rotation, including ways to incentivize cover crop adoption, how using cover crops resulted in higher soil carbon levels, which cover crop species resulted in lower soil carbon levels, and more.

Cover crop acreage has increased significantly around the nation, and in some areas over 70% of farmland is “green” going into winter. The Mid-Atlantic region is leading the charge. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

Cover crop utilization on cropland gained momentum during the period of high commodity prices, but adoption has slowed as producers are identifying opportunities to reduce production costs. Cover crops certainly have their place and the expense of planting, which includes the time required and capital investment, should be valued against soil loss and the overall cost of erosion in terms of decreased productivity. Read more in this article from the Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, KY).

In this episode of the Cover Crop Strategies podcast, we share a Q&A interview with senior editor John Dobberstein and Rob Myers, regional director of extension programs for Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).

Download our FREE eGuide, “Finding Your ‘ROI’ with Cover Crops in No-Till Systems,” and learn how to quantify the much-touted benefits of individual covers and cover-crop mixes on no-till operations!