An overarching goal for planting cover crops is to produce as much biomass as possible during the growing window. Higher levels of cover crop biomass will reduce soil erosion, inhibit weed growth, and ...

Illinois farmer Brian Corkill uses cover crops on most of his ground. Read about what species he uses ahead of corn and ...

Organic farmers can use a combination of cover crops and no-till methods to improve soil health, suppress weeds, and retain moisture, suggests a new report. Organic farmers have to make hard choices ...

Establishing winter cover crops after or between harvests can be a great way to preserve soil structure, protect against erosion and produce biomass that feeds the soil ecology. However, if you’re in ...

Maybe after you finish your vegetable harvest, you mentally say, “I’m done this year,” and wait to start again next year. But a cover crop could benefit you in several ways. By researching now, you ...

Only a fraction of conventional row crop farmers grow cover crops after harvest, but a new global analysis from the University of Illinois shows the practice can boost soil microbial abundance by 27%.

My farm is in Allamakee and Winneshiek Counties, which is about as far north and east as you can go without leaving Iowa. Being so far north, I deal with a short season and fewer options for cover ...

Beekeepers and researchers say drought across the West this year will likely hurt honey bee colonies. Bees are expected to struggle most in California followed by Oregon, where meteorologists predict ...