Crop Rotation and Cover Cropping Impacts on Soil Health
2014
- UW-Madison
Project Media
Discussion related to the benefits of the integration of cover crops and improvement of soil health as part of crop management practices has increased over the past several years. A recent survey conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center reported that 2012 harvested yields from corn fields following a cover crop were 9.6% greater than side-by-side fields with no cover crops, and soybean yields improved 11.6% following cover crops. Yield differences were even greater in regions most impacted by the 2012 drought, with corn yielding 11% greater and soybeans yielded 14.3% greater than those grown in fields with no cover crops.