What’s So Special About Cover Crops?

9 Short and Long-Term Goals That Create Financial Value

1 – Soil Surface Protection

Black oats and phacelia - great for soil protection.

Planting cover crops between traditional row crops protects the topsoil from water and wind erosion. This canopy helps shield the soil surface from weather extremes, retaining valuable soil moisture and minimizing evaporation.

The picture above is a field of black oats and phacelia, planted after corn silage.

2 – Decreasing Undesirables

Cereal (winter) rye is great at discouraging weed growth and works well ahead of a soybean crop.

Cover crops that produce noticeable biomass, or when planted at higher seeding rates, suppress weeds by direct competition and by shading the soil.

Cereal rye (above) releases allelopathic compounds that deter smaller seeded weeds from germinating.

Others have shown the ability to reduce nematode populations by controlling the winter annual weeds that serve as a refuge, or by releasing chemicals that biologically fumigate vulnerable soil environments (in sugar beet and potato rotations).

3 – Alleviating Compaction

One primary benefit of cover crops is their ability to break up soil compaction.

Many popular cover crops are known for their roots. These roots break through tough, compacted soil.

Root channels improve aeration, water movement, and soil structure.

4 – Improving Soil Structure

Nutribuilder (annual ryegrass, crimson clover, radish) is great at improving the soil and is great to no-till into.

Over time, living cover crops, along with earthworms and other beneficials, will methodically improve soil structure.

Cash crop roots will penetrate the soil with greater ease, allowing oxygen and microbial populations to grow.

As cover crops grow and die, soil aggregates are formed that catch organic matter and build soil structure. Improvements in soil structure ultimately allow for better utilization of nutrients and water.

The above picture shows corn being planted into Nutribuilder (annual ryegrass, crimson clover, radish).

5 – Nutrient Cycling

Wheat planted into cowpeas and buckwheat.

Scavenging leftover nutrients from preceding row crops (and reducing run-off) is a mainstay of today’s covers.

Depending on the species, phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) sequestered within the soil profile can be made available for successive cropping systems.

The picture above shows wheat after cowpeas and buckwheat.

6 – Nitrogen-Fixing

Clover is a great nitrogen fixing legume.

Legume cover crops convert nitrogen (N) from the air into nitrogen that plants and our subsequent row crops can utilize, often reducing overall fertility (N) requirements.

7 – Pollinator Benefits

Buckwheat is an excellent pollinator.

Many cover crops create the habitat, shelter, and overall biodiversity for pollinators and wildlife.

8 – Forage Contribution

Triticale is not only a high producing forage for the livestock industry, it also has an immense root system.

There’s no better way to make cover crops pay for themselves than by utilizing the growing biomass for livestock forage.

9 – Organic Matter (OM) Improvements

Organic matter increases as roots die. Keeping a cover crop in the field when the cash crop is no longer growing is one way to increase organic matter.

Integrating cover crops adds carbon, which feeds the soil food web, and enhances soil tilth and water holding capacity.

OM percentage within the soil expands as the cycle continues; more nutrients are securely stored as humus develops. Measuring OM increases is a long-term process, but not the life-long endeavor everyone once believed.

The short-term soil structure improvements give us physical evidence of organic matter enhancement.


With all of this in mind, what is the next step?

1 – Select the right cover crops to help reach those benefits.

Different species have unique characteristics intended for distinct benefits and positive outcomes. The right species (and perhaps a distinct variety) will move the plan forward.

Conversely, utilizing the wrong cover crop in a given geography, rotation, or cropping plan can bring unintended consequences.

2 – Plot out a cropping plan to give the cover crop the best opportunity for success and understand that a few changes may be needed to maximize the potential.

Growers new to cover crops may consider starting with smaller fields or acreage, as new management considerations will undoubtedly emerge. Planting windows are crucial, so modifying crop rotations and/or shifting harvest dates slightly can make a big difference.

Don’t forget how pesticides can negatively affect cover crop performance as well.

3 – As soon as possible, make certain that equipment and labor are prepared and ready to go, as timely seeding is critical.

Work with CISCO Seeds to ensure seed is where it’s needed, understanding that most all cover crop seed originates outside of the Midwest, and it may take additional time.

4 – Be willing to make a few tweaks along the way.

The weather is unpredictable, so balancing goals and management expectations will be needed. Even the best-looking stands of cover crops can cause problems with challenging spring weather, or when other pests or difficulties unexpectedly show up.

Improving conservation and overall soil health takes time; growers would be wise to think long-term with their expectations and practice patience along the way.

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