Research shows that cover crops can improve soil, break pest cycles, reduce input costs and improve yields. But choosing the right cover crops, and managing them successfully, can require careful consideration to identify the right mix of species, timing, and equipment that best serve your farm’s goals.
SARE’s newest handbook, Cover Crops: Improving Soil Health, Stewardship and Profitability on the Farm helps farmers improve their understanding of how cover crops can fit into their operations.
Drawing on decades of research and farmer experience, the handbook covers:
- How Cover Crops Can Fuel Our Farms
- Making Money Off of Cover Crops
- Cover Crops Will Build Your Soil Health
- Simple Steps for Getting Started With Cover Crops
- Selecting Cover Crop Species and Mixes
- Equipment Strategies and Options
- Potential Issues
- …and more
Now in its second edition, Cover Crops: Improving Soil Health, Stewardship and Profitability on the Farm includes new chapters on using cover crops in grazing, horticulture, and organic systems. The stories of 12 grain, vegetable, and livestock farmers from across the country highlight how they manage cover crops and what they have learned along the way.
“Start small,” recommends author Rob Myers, director of the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture. “The land you work with can be green and healthy if you take the steps to get there.”
Read Cover Crops: Improving Soil Health, Stewardship and Profitability on the Farm for free online or order a print copy at www.sare.org/cover-crop-book. Print copies can be ordered online for $32 each, plus shipping and handling. Call (301) 779–1007 for telephone, tax-free, rush or purchase orders. Discounts apply for orders of 10 or more copies.
