Cover Crops
Cover crops are crops grown between the regular crops like corn, soybean
and wheat. Examples of cover crops are annual ryegrass, crimson clover,
oats, oil-seed radishes, and cereal rye. Cover crops are grown for a variety of reasons:
- Reducing soil compaction
- Covering the soil, to protect it from erosion by wind and water
- Improving soil structure
- Increasing soil organic matter
- Fixing nitrogen
- Scavenging nitrogen from the soil that would otherwise be lost to percolation, runoff or volatilization
- Producing forage or pasture
Numerous cover crop trials are being conducted across Indiana by private
industry, NRCS, Purdue Extension and the CCSI.
Cover Crop Resources:
Why Cover Crops After Drought?
The drought of 2012 has been the worst in many decades and will result in poor crop yields
or crop failures across wide areas of Indiana and the Midwest in general. Besides the obvious impacts on crop yields, there are other effects of the drought that farmers should consider as
they look ahead to this fall and next season. Fall-planted cover crops would be a good investment for many farmers this year, to benefit both their own farms and regional water quality. Learn More
Planting Cover Crops At Side-dress Time?
Penn State pushes the limits on cover cropping with new machine:
Adding Cover Crops to a No-till System
Cover Crop Blog by Dave Robison, CISCO Seed Inc.
Cover Crops for Modern Cropping Systems
Cover Crops for Nitrogen Management
Cover Crops for Northern Indiana: a Wisconsin Experience
No-Till Farmer is providing a FREE no-till report for registering to view no-till videos.
Cover Crops For Prevented Planting Acres
Cover Crop Selector for Indiana Counties
Support for the model is provided by:
Dean Baas, PhD
Michigan State University Extension,
W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Land and Water Unit
3700 E. Gull Lake Drive
Hickory Corners, MI 49060
Phone: 269-671-2412 ext. 260
Email: baasdean@msu.edu
Cover Crop Webinars
Decaying Oilseed Radish Attracts Large Number of Earthworms
Fall 2011 to Spring 2012 Cover Crop and Soil Pits Report
How do the herbicides you use in your cash crops impact cover crops?
How to set your drill or planter for cover crops
Midwest Cover Crop Council - Crop Crop Model
Midwest Cover Crop Field Guide
Innovative No-Till: Using Multi-Species Cover Crops to Improve Soil Health
New High-Boy Cover Crop Seeder Built in Perry County, PA
Radishes: A New Cover Crop Option
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
Young Farmer Proves Just How Deep Roots Go
Additional Resources
No-till/Strip till
Nutrient\Pesticide Management
Precision Farming
Visit our Events Calendar for scheduled precision farming events and field days.
