Page 9 - Ebook_CoverCrops2022_Final

2017, according to USDA. Other northeastern Agricultural Research Center at Oregon State
states have also seen high levels of adoption. University.

But in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, Management .is .key .to .getting .the .
the practice has grown at more moderate rates, benefits
and some states in the West — including Col-
orado, Washington, Wyoming and New Mex- Lee Briese, a crop consultant in North Dakota,
ico — have actually seen declines in cover crop said effectively getting benefits from cover crops
adoption. takes time, effort, and experimentation. He
compares it
to learning
how to do
yo-yo tricks.
Nobody can
just pick up
a yo-yo and
know how to
do advanced
tricks. They
have to take
the time to
learn them,
one after
another.

“This is a
new tech-
nique,”
Briese said.
“This is a
Many species of plants can and do work for new practice for a lot of farms and you actually
cover cropping, but some of the most common have to work your way up to it. You have to
types are grasses, brassicas and legumes — learn how to get it to work in your system, and
including winter annuals like crimson clover and everybody’s system is a little bit different.”

summer annuals like cowpeas.
For a detailed look at cover crop benefits, read:
Agronomists say producers have to factor in Cover crops can benefit farmers as well as the
what might grow best with their soils, weather environment
patterns and topography as they look to use PepsiCo Inc., one of many food industry giants
cover crops to solve some of the problems they that are trying to reduce their greenhouse gas
see in their fields. emissions by working with farmers to seques-
ter carbon through regenerative agriculture
“The thing is, like much else in ag, there cannot practices, has found that it’s critical to provide
be a cookie-cutter approach,” said Francisco growers with knowledgeable advice about cover
Calderon, the director of the Columbia Basin crops.

www.Agri-Pulse.com 9