Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are collaborating on a series of cover crop fact sheets for Iowa farmers interested in adopting the practice or trying new cover crops to achieve specific goals on their operation.
Thousands of Iowa farmers plant cover crops annually to help reduce soil erosion, increase soil organic matter, suppress weeds, minimize soil compaction, scavenge excess nutrients, or provide supplemental livestock grazing. A large percentage of Iowa farmers use cereal rye, oats, wheat, radishes and turnips. However, there are many other cover crop options available.
The collection of fact sheets includes legumes like hairy vetch and cowpeas, broadleaves like flax and buckwheat, grasses such as millets and triticale, and brassicas like camelina and rapeseed.
“We feel these fact sheets are a good introduction to cover crops for producers who haven’t tried them yet,” said Mark Licht, associate professor and cropping systems specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “There are also species that a more seasoned cover crop user might be interested in learning more about.”