Rob Myers

Regional Extension Director, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, USDA

How Can Cover Crops Boost No-Till Profits?

One of the biggest questions no-tillers have about cover crops has to do with profitability: they want to know if covers will pay, and how much, says Rob Myers. To address this, data from hundreds of farmers was collected by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) through 5 years of national cover crop surveys.

The North Central SARE regional extension director shares results from a new USDA-SARE report evaluating cover crop returns under various crop management situations. He discusses insights on cover crop cost efficiency if you have herbicide-resistant weeds, soil compaction or are making adjustments to nutrient management. He also addresses how factors such as excessively wet or dry soils affect cover crop returns, and the profits that can be made from cover crop grazing.