According to a recent survey, Indiana farmers planted 950,000 acres of cover crops in 2019.
Cover crops are known for their environmental benefits and, with the exception of corn and soybeans, are planted on more acres than any other commodity crop in Indiana. They are typically planted in the fall after harvest and designed to keep roots in the ground throughout the winter, which improves soil health and helps filter water off of the farm.
Due to the late spring planting in 2019 and the subsequent delayed harvest, some cover crops were not able to be planted due to time constraints and unfavorable weather.
As a result of the cover crops planted last year, it is estimated that 1.2 million tons of sediment was prevented from entering Indiana’s waterways, along with 3 million pounds of nitrogen and 1.5 million pounds of phosphorus. That’s enough sediment to fill more than 350 Olympic-size swimming pools.
For the first time, the Indiana Conservation Partnership tracked living cover crops planted into fallow ground due to the increased number of prevent plant ground seen in 2019. The data found that a total of 230,000 acres had prevent plant or was fallow ground which had living cover crops or cereal grains planted into them.
In 2019, 71% of Indiana’s corn acres were no till or strip till acres. For Indiana’s 2019 soybean crop, 76% of soybean acres had residues and soils undisturbed which allow the soil to hold in vital nutrients.
The cover crop transect is a visual survey of cropland in the state. It’s conducted every year in the fall and spring by members of the Indiana Conservation Partnership, including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Indiana’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Purdue Extension, as well as Earth Team volunteers, to show a more complete story of the state’s conservation efforts. Due to the implications of the novel coronavirus some of the 92 Indiana counties were missing cover crop data for the 2019 year, in those counties the data used was their individual five year averages.
- Definitions and Trends
Definitions of Conservation Tillage Practices
Statewide Historical Trend Reports
- 2019 Data
2019 County Cover Crop and Tillage Transect Data
County Analyses
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in All Crops
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in Corn (acres)
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in Corn (percent)
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (acres)
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (percent)
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in Fallow Ground (acres)
- 2019 Corn Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2019 Soybean Residue Not Tilled (percent)
HUC 8 Watershed Analyses
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in All Crops (acres)
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in All Crops (percent)
- 2019 Living Covers Planted in All Crops (tabular data)
2019 Spring Tillage Transect Data
County Analyses
- 2018 Data
2018 Fall Cover Crop and Tillage Transect Data
County Analyses
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in All Crops
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Corn (acres)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Corn (percent)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Small Grains (acres)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Small Grains (percent)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (acres)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (percent)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Specialty Crops (acres)
- 2018 Living Covers Planted in Specialty Crops (percent)
- 2018 Corn Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2018 Small Grain Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2018 Soybean Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2018 Specialty Crop Residue Not Tilled (percent)
HUC 8 Watershed Analyses
- 2017 Data
2017 Fall Cover Crop and Tillage Transect Data
County Analyses
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in All Crops
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Corn (acres)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Corn (percent)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Small Grains (acres)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Small Grains (percent)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (acres)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (percent)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Specialty Crops (acres)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Specialty Crops (percent)
- 2017 Corn Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2017 Small Grain Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2017 Soybean Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2017 Specialty Crop Residue Not Tilled (percent)
HUC 8 Watershed Analyses
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in All Crops (acres)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Corn (acres)
- 2017 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (acres)
- Percent Change in No-till Acreage from Spring to Fall 2017
2017 Spring Tillage Transect Data
County Analyses
- 2017 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2017 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2017 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2017 No-till Soybean (acres)
HUC 8 Watershed Analyses
- 2016 Data
2016 Fall Cover Crop and Tillage Transect Data
County Analyses
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in All Crops
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Corn (acres)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Corn (percent)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Small Grains (acres)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Small Grains (percent)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (acres)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (percent)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Specialty Crops (acres)
- 2016 Living Covers Planted in Specialty Crops (percent)
- 2016 Corn Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2016 Small Grain Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2016 Soybean Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2016 Specialty Crop Residue Not Tilled (percent)
HUC 8 Watershed Analyses
- 2015 Data
2015 Fall Cover Crop and Tillage Transect Data
- 2015 Living Covers Planted in Corn (percent)
- 2015 Living Covers Planted in Corn (acres)
- 2015 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (percent)
- 2015 Living Covers Planted in Soybean (acres)
- 2015 Living Covers Planted in All Crops
- 2015 Corn Residue Not Tilled (percent)
- 2015 Soybean Residue Not Tilled (percent)
2015 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2014 Data
- 1990 - 2013 Data (tillage systems only)
2013 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2013 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2013 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2013 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2013 No-till Soybean (acres)
2011 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2011 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2011 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2011 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2011 No-till Soybean (acres)
2009 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2009 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2009 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2009 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2009 No-till Soybean (acres)
2007 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2007 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2007 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2007 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2007 No-till Soybean (acres)
2004 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2004 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2004 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2004 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2004 No-till Soybean (acres)
2000 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 2000 No-till Corn (percent)
- 2000 No-till Corn (acres)
- 2000 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 2000 No-till Soybean (acres)
1997 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 1997 No-till Corn (percent)
- 1997 No-till Corn (acres)
- 1997 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 1997 No-till Soybean (acres)
1993 Spring Tillage Transect Data
- 1993 No-till Corn (percent)
- 1993 No-till Corn (acres)
- 1993 No-till Soybean (percent)
- 1993 No-till Soybean (acres)
1990 Spring Tillage Transect Data