Ontario and Prairie farms and crop advisors invited to share cover crop insights

As cover crop use in Ontario and in the Prairies continues to evolve, a survey is being launched to understand changes in cover crop use.

The survey, led by researchers from the University of Manitoba, Manitoba Agriculture, and the Ontario Cover Crop Steering Committee**, aims to learn more from farms and crop advisors about the adoption, practices, benefits, and challenges of cover crops.

The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of current cover crop dynamics, including motivations and limitations, and to inform future initiatives in research, policy development, programming, and communications related to cover crops.

In 2020, the same team released the results from a similar survey that helped shed light on cover crop use. With the new survey, they want to learn about the evolving dynamics of cover crop use in Ontario and Prairie agriculture in cover cropping.

The survey is open to all farm types and sizes, and those who advise farms across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It targets:

• Farms who did or did not grow cover crops during the 2025 growing season
• Farms who have stopped using cover crops
• Crop advisors, whether or not they advise on cover crops

By gathering insights directly from farms and those who support them, this survey supports a deeper understanding of the evolving dynamics of cover crop use in Ontario and Prairie agriculture.

To participate, visit https://gfo.ca/cover-crop-survey/

The survey will be available until March 31, 2026.

**The Ontario Cover Crop Steering Committee consists of: Ontario Certified Crop Advisor Association, Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Agri-business Association, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Conservation Ontario, Ontario Soil Network, Soils at Guelph, Committee resource- Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness