Cover Crops

All Cover Crops Content

A tall grassy warm season cover crop blend grown in South Dakota.

Using Annual Cover Crops and Forages in Lieu of Row Crops

Although there are many factors to take into consideration, annual forages and cover crops can be an excellent tool to mitigate challenging planting seasons.

Cattle grazing a field of cover crops in Eastern South Dakota.

Extend the Grazing Season With Cover Crops

When hay prices are high, extending the grazing season is key. Grazing cover crops in the fall and spring can extend the grazing season and reduce feed costs.

A corn field in South Dakota looking very wet due to flooding from spring rains and melted snow.

Delayed Planting Challenges: Cover Crop Considerations

High waters and saturated soils across many counties in South Dakota have producers worried about getting their crops planted in a timely manner this spring. In many areas, typical cash crops will not be a possibility. Producers may need to develop alternative plans.

A grass forage blend grows in a central SD field as Red cattle graze.

Delayed Planting Challenges: Alternative Forages

With the excessively wet planting conditions much of South Dakota is now experiencing, many producers are looking for “Plan B” to meet forage needs for their livestock, or as a commodity that can be marketed to livestock producers.

A tall, grassy, warm-season cover crop blend grown in Central South Dakota.

Cover Crops 2019: What to Plant When

As many Midwest producers look to cover crops to build soil health and provide supplemental forage after a soggy spring, many questions are arising regarding management decisions, specifically, species selection and planting timing.

Field of mixed cover crops containing oats.

Cover Crop Considerations for 2020

Producers across South Dakota are harvesting small grains. These crops provide an excellent window for adding a cover crop into your rotation.

Two producers inspect the soil in a no-till field early in the growing season.

Managing Soil for Carbon Storage

Did you know that adopting soil health principles can lead to increased soil carbon concentrations? Learn about some recent studies in South Dakota that evaluated the potential of land management activities to increase soil carbon.

Interseeded cover crops growing between rows of mature soybeans.

Inter-Seeding Cover Crops into Soybean

Recent studies have investigated the soil health and yield impacts of inter-seeding various cover crops into soybean plantings.

Cover crops growing between two wide rows of corn.

Inter-Seeding Cover Crops into Corn

Many producers are interested in incorporating cover crops into their cropping systems. Recent research investigated the effects of inter-seeding cover crops into corn on biomass production, grain yields, and other ecosystem services.

Green cereal rye crop growing throughout a harvested corn field.

Thinking Cover Crops? Winter Rye Between Corn and Soybean

Although the 2021 growing season in has been impacted by widespread drought and record-high temperatures, recent rain events have brought planting cover crops back into the conversation.