Cover crops have proven benefits for soil health. A recent Iowa Soybean Association study shows that cover crops can also reduce the input costs associated with growing crops. Read more in this article from the Environmental Defense Fund.

The record wet year in 2019 left many acres in South Dakota unsuitable for planting, but on Doug Sieck's cropland near Selby, South Dakota, he was able to plant every acre he wanted to. He attributes that to decades of no till management and the years of cover cropping that have helped build healthy soil. Read more in this article from the Aberdeen News.

Livestock grazing could be beneficial for organic farming systems. "Fresh produce growers and their advisors will benefit from learning about the impacts of integrating livestock grazing with winter cover crop management on soil health including soil organic matter, nutrient cycling and reduced nitrate leaching, and potential food safety risks discovered in this project to make decisions on adoption, management, and environmental benefits of winter cover crop management in annual vegetable systems," said Alda Pires, University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and principle investigator in the study.

This year’s cover crop of barley and wheat is designed to put nutrients back into this plot of Western Oklahoma soil. Picking through a small box full of small seeds, farmer Jimmy Emmons points out, “There’s squash in here. There’s peas in here.” Read more in this article from Oklahoma News 4.

Using cover crops is not a short-term investment. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. Cover crops are an investment in the long-term soil health and a conscious decision to focus more on stewardship of the land rather than short-term profits.

As with all things related to cover crops, growers have a bevy of options to choose from, including termination methods. According to the results of the first-ever Cover Crop Benchmark Study conducted by Cover Crop Strategies, herbicides were the termination method of choice for a whopping 69% of growers in 2019.

Farmers aren't immune to changing weather patterns affecting the Midwest. That's why those who are adopting conservation practices hope other farmers follow suit. Read more in this article from Public News Service.

Soybean planting is well ahead of the five-year average through mid-May and provides an opportunity to consider cover crops. John Pike, agronomic consultant and researcher at Pike Ag, Marion, spoke of developing a system to successfully manage soybeans and cover crops in a breakout sessions at the Illinois Soybean Association’s Soybean Summit. Read more in this article from AgriNews.

Crop roller “crimping” has become a common way to mechanically terminate cover crops. Crimpers are used to kill grass cover crops (cereal rye, barley, wheat, sorghum, Sudan, pearl millet), vetches (hairy and common), annual clovers (crimson and balansa), buckwheat, and multi-species cover crops. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

Cover crops can be immediately planted following grain crop harvest, or during fallow in a rotation, which provides extra forage in the fall that can be harvested or grazed. Many producers are already inserting full season cover crops for grazing into their cropping rotation.