Cover crops

Why do you plant cover crops … or why don’t you?

Farmers are invited to share their thoughts on cover crops in an online survey at bit.ly/CoverCrop23. Your insight will help guide research, communications, seed development, and more. The National Cover Crop Survey is the seventh since... more »

Fourteen Acres’ bounty

In an unusual combination, central Texas distillery Tito’s is growing fresh produce, and seeks to inspire other distilleries to do the same. Tito’s/Fourteen Acres’ farmer Adam Levin and Kathleen Kuper, farm... more »

Combining cover crops, fall manure boosts both

Fall is often a practical time to apply manure nutrients for many growers. In the case of vegetables, regulations associated with food safety and organic certification can further limit available windows to apply raw manures... more »

Cover crops more effective than insecticides for managing pests

Promoting early-season plant cover, primarily through the use of cover crops, can be more effective at reducing pest density and crop damage than insecticide applications, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers. In a... more »

Cover crops effective at reducing wind erosion impacts

While growers often feel they get benefits from the cover crops they plant following crop production, sometimes it is harder to know they are getting a return on the dollars invested from the practice. The... more »

Black tarps suppress weeds in organic production

University of New Hampshire researchers have found that using black tarps and cover crops successfully suppressed weeds in an organic vegetable system, allowing scientists to forgo tilling, which can have deleterious effects on soil. [caption... more »

Forage radish is cream of cover crops

When it comes to the most beneficial cover crops farmers can use to suppress weeds and increase production values, University of New Hampshire scientists have found that forage radish is at the top of the... more »

It is not too late to plant cover crops

The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler so many feel that it is too late to plant cover crop. That is not completely accurate. While it is true that it is... more »