Cover Crops

Cover Crop Information

Planting cover crops after you harvest your corn or soybeans can help stop the loss of soil, save you money on fertilizer, and increase your bottom line over the long run.

Additionally, cover crops such as brassicas, cereal grains, clovers, and annual ryegrass produce excellent forage for grazing and/or chopping after harvest of your primary crop.

For more information, visit the Midwest Cover Crops Council.

Benefits of Cover Crops

• Increase organic matter

• Increase earthworm population

• Improve aeration

• Improve water holding capacity

• Reduce compaction

• Reduce soil erosion

• Reduce surface runoff

• Nitrogen cycling

• Increase nitrogen fixation

• Enhance availability of phosphorous

• pH buffering

• Improve soil conservation

• Improve water quality

• Reduce erosion

• Reduce nitrogen leaching

• Reduce surface runoff

• Habitat for beneficial insects

• Weed suppression

• Helps control nematodes

Want more information on cover crops and soil health?
USDA NRCS YouTube (The Science of Soil Health: Going Deeper)