top of page

Cover Crops:

Cover crops are grasses, legumes, and forbs planted for seasonal vegetative cover that can help reduce soil erosion, maintain or increase soil organic matter, suppress weeds, provide additional forage for livestock, minimize compaction, and more! 

​

Cover crops can be an important part of a cropping system. The harvest of row crops, such as corn silage or soybeans, usually leaves the soil surface bare until the next crop season. The soil can remain bare for up to seven months, making it vulnerable to erosion from rainfall, snowmelt, or wind. To help combat and reduce soil erosion, cover crops are typically established and grown during the fall months and remain until the next spring crop season.​​

​

Cover crops combined with tillage management practices can significantly improve soil health. Tillage management can include no-till, strip-till, and reduced till. These combined practices result in minimal soil disturbance and improved soil productivity. 

Benefits of Cover Crops and Tillage Management: ​

  • Improves soil health

  • Increases soil organic matter 

  • Reduces soil erosion 

  • Conserves soil moisture 

  • Increases nutrient cycling

  • Provides additional forage for livestock

​

  • Reduces fuel costs

  • Crop residue on soil surface year-round

  • Provides nitrogen for plant use 

  • Suppresses weeds 

  • Minimizes compaction

Check out this Cover Crop Decision Tool! 

Single or Multi-Species Cover Crops to Choose From! 

​

Legumes

  • Crimson and red clover, hairy vetch, cowpeas, field peas

  • Fast growing forage species

  • Erosion control, fix atmospheric nitrogen, attract insects and more

​

Grains and Grasses

  • Barley, buckwheat, oats, winter wheat/rye, triticale, annual ryegrass

  • Small seeded species thats often mixed with legumes 

  • Erosion control, prevents weeds, builds organic matter and more

​

Brassicas

  • Arugula, canola, forage radish, mustard

  • Rapid cool season growth 

  • ​Improves aeration, suppresses weeds, erosion control and more

The Stearns Conservation District has multiple programs with funds readily available for cover crop and tillage management for Stearns County farmers. Let us help you decide what may personally work best for your operation! If you are interested in learning more about our programs or applying for one, call 320-251.7800 ext.3 or stop in our office from 8:00am to 4:30pm to talk to a SCD Conservation Planner!​

Cover Crop Photo Gallery: 

No-Till Planting Cover Crop Mix Video: Standing Oats and Australian Winter Peas

bottom of page