- + Font Size

Cover Crop Topic Room: Establishment

Comparison of Cover Crop Establishment Methods

Type: North Central SARE Grantee-Produced Info Product

This research report from Practical Farmers of Iowa presents data about a cover of hairy vetch, tillage...

Download File (935.93 kB)

Cover Crops for Soil Health and Nutrient Conservation and Update on the PSU Cover Crop Interseeder

Type: Northeast SARE Multimedia

Dr. Sjoerd Duiker presents how cover crops can be used to conserve nutrients over the winter, reduce...

Using Manually Operated Seeders for Precision Cover Crop Plantings on the Small Farm

Type: Southern SARE Grantee-Produced Info Product

This information sheet describes research in Virginia on using inexpensive, manually operated seeders...

Download File (858.75 kB)

Also, visit SARE's database for reports on these research projects:

Organic No-Till Establishment of Hairy Vetch as a Cover Crop into Hay Sod and Sensitivity to Carbon Amendments (2011, New Hampshire)
Conserving End-of-Season N with Effective Seeding Dates for Cover Crops Based on Fall Growing Degree Days (2006, Massachusetts)
Establishing Cover Crops at Time of Corn Planting: Determining Soil and Water Quality Benefits (2001, New York)
Establishment of Cover Crops in Corn and Soybeans (2000, Pennsylvania)

Dig deeper into cover crops research: SARE has funded hundreds of research and education projects related to cover crops since 1988. This topic room features only a glimpse into SARE's entire portfolio of cover crop research. To discover more, visit SARE's database of projects and conduct full text or advanced keyword searches.

Managing Cover Crops Profitably, 3rd Edition

Type: Book

Managing Cover Crops Profitably explores how and why cover crops work and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into any farming operation.

Published: 2007

Pages: 244

Online Version: Free

Download File (5.58 MB)

View HTML

Farmers Say Cover Crops Work

During the fall of 2012, corn yields increased 9.6% when planted after a cover crop, compared to side-by-side fields with no cover crops, and soybean yields improved 11.6% following cover crops. Because of this, and witnessed improvements to soil and water quality, farmers across the Midwest are rapidly expanding their cover crop acreage.

Learn more about farmers' experiences with cover crops in the 2012-2013 Cover Crop Survey. Read a summary or download the full report.

Other Cover Crops Resources

The following organizations offer excellent cover crops resources:

The Midwest Cover Crops Council has extensive information on cover crops for Midwestern farmers, including species descriptions, selector tools, innovator profiles, Extension material and more.

The eOrganic Community of Practice maintains a collection of articles, videos and webinars on organic research, production and certification. This collection includes a section on cover cropping in organic farming systems.

"Unlock the Secrets in the Soil" is a national initiative by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to promote soil's importance as a natural resource and its vital role in agriculture.