Cover Crops
Practical Farmers provides farmers and agency personnel with information, anecdotes and research about adding cover crops to current conventional, organic or other farming systems.
Cover crops are plants such as small grains, legumes, brassicas and others that are planted between cash crop seasons to keep a living cover on the landscape. Numerous studies have shown these plants can help protect soil and water quality, reduce chemical input costs, improve farm resiliency, boost yields, increase forage availability and improve wildlife habitat. In Iowa, the number of cover crop acres has increased dramatically over the past several years — from fewer than 10,000 acres in 2009 to about 1,282,608 acres of cover crops in 2022 in Iowa. Practical Farmers of Iowa has played a central role in bringing about this transformative change to the landscape.
Sign up for our cover crop e-newsletter
On this page:
- Sign up for cover crop cost-share
- Join our cover crop shared learning calls
- Join our “cover crop phone a friend” series
- Watch “Practical Cover Croppers” video series
- RSVP to attend a cover crop event
- Explore cover crop resources from PFI and other organizations
- Revisit annual conference sessions on cover crops
- Explore the Midwest Grazing Exchange and other tools
- See our partners
Why cover crops?
Watch the “Cover Crops to Improve Soil Structure and Water Infiltration” video below to hear farmers share stories of how covers have improved soil quality and protected their fields during times of heavy rainfall and times of drought. To learn more about cover crops, watch PFI’s “Cover Crops and Weed Control” video.
Want to watch more videos on cover crops? “Practical Cover Croppers” aims to offer a digestible snapshot of PFI members’ cover cropping practices and insights across a range of farm enterprises, from row crops and livestock to horticulture.
Watch “Practical Cover Croppers” on YouTube
Cover Crop Cost-Share
Practical Farmers offers cost-share and technical assistance for those who are seeding fall cover crops.
Participants must farm in eligible counties in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota.
Payment rates are $10 or $12 per acre, depending on documentation provided by the participant. Enroll up to 240 acres. Participants with a multi-year contract from 2023 or 2024 can cost-share unlimited acres. There are no requirements on the species or seeding method used.
Learn More About Cover Crop Cost-Share Opportunities
Join our Cover Crop Shared Learning Calls
Cover crop shared learning calls are conference calls where you can listen and talk with other farmers with varying cover crop experience. Each month our speaker(s) share their experiences and production practices for 40 minutes, and then we open the floor for questions and discussion. Cover crop shared learning calls will take place on the third Friday of the month from noon-1 p.m. during August and September.
We use Zoom to host these virtual events. To participate in shared learning calls, you can either join by phone or computer.
Schedule
August 15 | Noon – 1 p.m.
Adding a new practice into an established operation can seem daunting. Questions may start to cloud that decision to try something new – “Do I have the right equipment?” “What else will I need to change if I add this?” Adding cover crops into your cropping rotation does not have to be complicated. Join Chad Bell in this August shared learning call as he goes over equipment you already have on farm that can be used to seed and manage cover crops. Chad will also share his experiences with cover cropping and how they have shaped other practices in his operation including fertility management.
Chad Bell is a 6th generation farmer in Viola, IL raising 4800 hogs wean to finish and 1650 acres of corn, soy and wheat. Cover crops were introduced in 2013, and he has since incorporated wheat to have more acres available for manure application and try warm-season cover crops. Chad values the reminder that if what he’s doing is not profitable, it is
not sustainable.
September 19 | Noon-1 p.m.
More details coming soon!
Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G053. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, any reference to specific brands or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for those products or services. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Join us for our Cover Crop Phone-a-Friend Series
“Cover Crop Phone-a-Friend” calls are 30-minute, open forums for growers to bring questions to a farmer speaker and a PFI Agronomist to get answers and spark conversation during decision-making windows for cover crop management. This facilitated discussion will answer common timely questions and offer time for your specific questions to get answers. We use Zoom to host these virtual events. To participate in a phone-a-friend call, you can either join by phone or computer. Phone-A-Friends are held on two Tuesdays, from noon to 12:30 p.m. Central Time during the month of August. See the schedule below.
Schedule
August 12 | Noon-12:30 p.m.
Nick Smith and his family farm near Epworth, Iowa, raising row crops, hay and a cow-calf herd. Cover crops play a role in his operation as they use winter and summer covers for grazing and forage. The Smiths run a predominantly commercial cow-calf herd and have used cover crops for the past 15 years.
Come ready with your questions, around grazing cover crops and cover crop management, for Nick and a PFI agronomist on this Phone-A-Friend call!
August 19 | Noon-12:30 p.m.
Mike Holden is a third-generation farmer who raises corn and soybeans, manages a cow-calf herd and a small feedlot, and operates a private-label retail meat company near Scranton, Iowa. Mike started cover cropping over ten years ago and now covers about 70% of his acres. Cover crops continue to have a growing place in Mike’s operation, but their management looks different each year whether it’s different seeding methods or changing plans based on the weather.
Come ready with your cover crop questions for Mike and a PFI agronomist in this Phone-A-Friend call!
Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number NR233A750004G053. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In addition, any reference to specific brands or types of products or services does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for those products or services. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
PFI Cover Crop Resources
- Grazing Cover Crops Toolkit
- Cover Crop Directory
- Cover Crop Recommendations
- Cover Crop Decision Tree
- Cover Crop Decision Tools
- Herbicide Use and Cover Crops
- Corn Following a Cereal Rye Cover Crop
Other Resources
- Economic Value of Cover Crops Report
- Cover Crop Termination Guidelines
- Prevented Planting Fact Sheet
- SARE’s “Managing Cover Crops Profitably” book
- Midwest Cover Crops Council
- Joel Gruver’s Alternative Technologies for Timely Cover Crop Establishments
- Ohio State University Sustainable Crop Rotations with Cover Crops
- Estimating Plant-Available Nitrogen Release from Cover Crops, Oregon State
- Cover Cropping for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects
Tools
Midwest Grazing Exchange
Expanding integrated crop-livestock systems can offer a range of benefits for farmers, the environment and rural communities. But accessing land to graze, or finding livestock farmers to partner with, can be a barrier.
The Midwest Grazing Exchange is a free matchmaking service that aims to connect graziers seeking land to graze with landowners in six Midwestern states. It was created to help farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin find livestock or land to graze.
Other Tools
IOWA LEARNING FARMS CALCULATORS
MIDWEST COVER CROPS COUNCIL- COVER CROP DECISION TOOL
Green Cover Seeds Smartmix Calculator
Partners
With cover crops promising such tangible benefits for farmers and the environment, Practical Farmers is working to increase cover crop use in Iowa and the Midwest. Several private companies including seed-houses, aerial applicators and cooperatives have also worked with Practical Farmers to decrease barriers for farmers wanting to add cover crops. Other key partners include:
- Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
- Iowa Learning Farms
- Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
- Natural Resources Conversation Service
- Risk Management Agency
- USDA Agricultural Research Service
Contact Information
For more information about our cover crop program, contact covercrops(at)practicalfarmers(dot)org.
For more information about on-farm research, contact Stefan Gailans at stefan.gailans(at)practicalfarmers(dot)org.