Winter peas can be a great addition to a cover crop mix for many growers, but the cost of these seeds can be high and the return on investment doesn’t always pay off. USDA plant research geneticist Lisa Kissing Kucek is in Madison, Wis., at the forage research center where she and other researchers have been breeding winter peas for 7 years in a nationwide cover crop breeding network to study spring vigor, winter vigor, biomass and other benefits of various cover crop species.

Winter peas are popular additions to cover crop mixes, but adding these costly seeds to a mix doesn't always pay off, says Lisa Kissing Kucek, USDA plant research geneticist.

Lisa Kissing Kucek, USDA plant research geneticist, explains the results from the hairy vetch breeding program at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center in North Freedom, Wis.