Cover Crops: No-till

Soil health benefits are often enhanced when using cover crops in combination with no-till.

Conservation Tillage Systems in the Southeast

A comprehensive guide on conservation tillage systems for farms in the southeastern United States, providing information on the core components of conservation tillage systems as well as addressing regional considerations.
Download File | Online text version

Cover Crops and No-Till Management for Organic Systems

This Rodale Institute fact sheet reviews the use of cover crops and no-till in organic systems, including selection, establishment and mechanical termination of cover crops; crop rotations; and energy and production budgets. Download File (490.21 kB)

Adding Cover Crops to a No-Till System

South Dakota farm manager Dan Forgey has improved soil quality and the bottom line by successfully introducing cover crops to his long-term no-till system.

Grant Puts (Good) Crimp in Farm Operations

It all began in 2002 with a $6,500 SARE grant and the seed of an idea: a no-till tractor implement that rolls, crimps and kills cover crops, creating a weed suppressing mulch.

Reduced Tillage and Cover Cropping Systems for Organic Vegetable Production

This information sheet captures research by Virginia Tech and the Virginia Association for Biological Farming to develop cover crop-based, reduced-tillage systems for organic vegetable production.Download File (504.52 kB)

No-Till and Cover Crop Innovations Increase Dairy Profits

To help dairy farmers optimize overall forage production and quality, SARE-funded researchers led field trials and demonstrations in three New England states to determine the benefits of cover crops, no-till and shorter-season corn silage varieties. 

Beyond Black Plastic

This publication explores sustainable, organic mulches such as cover crops and no-till and reduced tillage systems as alternatives to black plastic mulch for weed control. The booklet includes a discussion of the impact of organic mulches on soil quality and fertility, weed control, yields and waste production, and profitability for small to mid-size vegetable operations. Download File (1.51 MB)

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

• Trials and Informing Regional Farmers About Organic Weed Control Methods (2011, New Mexico) and the continuation, Making Roller Crimping a Reality in the Southwest (2013, New Mexico)
• Cover Crop Selection and Use in Organic No-Till Farming (2010, North Dakota)
• A Farmer-Researcher Collaborative Effort to Design No-Till Systems Appropriate for Small-Scale Organic Producers in Alabama and the Deep South (2009, Alabama)
• Transitioning to Sustainable Agriculture Using Continuous No-Till and Cover Crops (2009, Ohio)
• Rolled Down Cover Crop Mulch for Pumpkin and Soybean Production (2009, Pennsylvania)
• Managing Cover Crop and Conservation Tillage Systems to Enhance Vegetable Crop Yields, Economic Returns and Environmental Quality (2004, Oregon)
• Weed Management in Organic Conservation Tillage/No-Tillage (2004, Ohio)
• Multipurpose Brassica Cover Crops for Sustaining Northeast Farmers (2003, Maryland)
• Conservation Tillage Benefits in a Cotton-Centered Crop Rotation System (2001, Arizona)
• No-Till Wheat into Medic vs. Conventional Wheat (1999, Montana)

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.