Management

Cover crops play an important role in maintaining and improving soil health. Cover crops enhance the soil’s ability to retain nutrients and support the growth of future cash crops. They are sustainable agricultural practices and also contribute to long-term soil health and farm resiliency.

Pest and Weed Suppression

As part of the overall agronomic system, cover crops play an important role in integrated pest management. They can be used to break pest cycles, support beneficial insects and increase the number of natural predators that can help keep pest levels below economic thresholds. Cover crops are also weed suppressors, helping combat the growing concern of herbicide resistance and ensuring cash crops remain profitable. 

Agronomic Interactions

Cover crops are one piece within the overall agronomic system that improve the quality and production of field crops through soil health management. The resources below provide information on how cover crops interact with different elements of the whole system, such as fertility, tillage and herbicides.

Fertility

Cover crops influence nutrient availability and improve soil fertility by keeping nutrients in place for the next cash crop. Deep roots can also pull nutrients into the cash crop root zone. Learn how they also help build soil characteristics that increase nutrient-holding capacity and plant availability.

Using Cover Crops to Improve Water Quality 

Building Soil Fertility and Tilth with Cover Crops

Cover crops and nitrogen cycling: what is my final goal?

Tillage

Cover crops can work with any tillage system to support soil health. Most importantly, they can ease the transition to no-till. 

When Cover Crops are Used to Speed and Ease the Transition to No-Till

Cover Crops and Strip-Till with Mark Thompson

Business Case for Conservation

Herbicide

Residual herbicides are critical tools for in-season weed management, especially for herbicide-resistant weeds. However, the activity of those herbicides could impact cover crop establishment, depending on the persistence of the active ingredients and the timing of cover crop seeding. Explore these links to understand the susceptibility of specific cover crop species to residuals used in the previous cash crop and to see what adjustments can minimize this issue.

Successful Cover Crop Termination with Herbicides 

Cover Crops for Weed Management Herbicide Fact Sheet 

Using herbicides and cover crops in corn and soybean

Soil Residual Herbicides and Establishment of Cover Crops in the Fall

Integrating Livestock & Grazing Cover Crops

Cover crops complement livestock production and help prevent soil compaction. They can also serve as additional, cost-efficient grazing or forage. If you don’t have livestock, consider working with neighbors who may be interested in another local feed source.

Economic

Economics of Soil Health Systems

Cover Crops Demonstrate Potential to Double as Forage

How to Guides

Grazing Cover Crops How-to Guide

Grazing Cover Crops Farmer Toolkit

Best Practices

Best Management Practices for Fall Grazing Cover Crops

Spring Grazing Cover Crops and Avoiding Soil Compaction

Working with Neighbors

Midwest Grazing Exchange

Termination

Evaluate the pros and cons of chemical, mechanical, or natural (for example, winterkill) termination. These resources help farmers consider spring weather patterns and other factors, varying between cover crop species, resource management goals and subsequent cash crop plantings.  If you have questions about adhering to the Risk Management Agency’s (RMA) termination guidelines, please contact your state’s Technical Advisor. They are knowledgeable and eager to help you in your cover crop journey.

Cover Crop Termination – Michigan State University

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Cover Crops for Weed Management: Termination

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Cover Crop Termination – Ohio State University Extension

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What are my best options for terminating a cereal rye cover crop this spring?

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Cash Crop Planting Considerations 

Adjustments to your springtime planting processes are linked closely to your termination methods and timing. Learn more about adjusting equipment and timing to ensure strong seed-to-soil contact and management of above-ground cover crop biomass. These resources will help you explore the benefits and challenges of planting into dried cover crop residue compared to planting the cash crop into the cover crop before termination, also known as “planting green.”

Get More From Cover Crops: Plant Green

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Cash Crop Planting Following a Cover Crop Training Module

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Does Planting Green into a Rye Cover Crop Affect Corn Growth and Yield?

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