Editor’s note: The following was written by Brooke Sonnek, University of Minnesota Extension ANR intern; Shane Bugeja, Extension educator; and Liz Stahl, crops Extension educator, for the Minnesota Crop News website.
Cover crops can be used in a crop rotation to improve environmental conditions including soil health. They can also be utilized more like a second cash crop.
The University of Minnesota has been testing popular cover crops and developing new ones for farmers to utilize.
While there are valid agronomic considerations for including a cover crop in your rotation, before adding them it is important to ask the following questions.
Purpose and priorities
When deciding whether to add a cover crop into your cropping rotation, you should first create a plan, understand the priorities of your operation and ask the question, “Why?”
Considerations could include:
- Soil health/reducing erosion
- Nutrient management/water quality priorities
- Supplemental grazing/hay
- Weed or pest control
Taking your operation’s needs into account will help you narrow down crop selection and whether or not there will be an economic benefit to your operation after input and maintenance costs.
Check out the Minnesota Cover Crop Guide and Midwest Cover Crop Council’s Decision Tool for species information which can be helpful in your decision-making.
Adding a cover crop into your existing rotation may address some concerns you have about soil health, etc., but it can also bring up important questions.
Network with other farmers who are already growing cover crops you are thinking of adding. These resources can give you an idea of how a cover crop could fit into your operation.
This also applies if you are thinking about planting a newly emerging crop such as Kernza or winter camelina. Finding out the little things that come with growing experience is valuable when deciding to invest in a new rotation.
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