With winter weather blanketing northern areas, researchers are finding that seeding cover crops can lead to much warmer field temperatures. 

A study by researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., found the darker leaf and stem surfaces of cover crop plants absorb more heat from the sun than a snow-covered field, especially with cover crops that are 12 inches taller than the snow depth. In fact, the scientists found that tall, leafy cover crops can dramatically influence the surrounding ground surface temperature even when partially covered by 12 inches of snow.

With concerns growing about climate change, these researchers are urging no-tillers to consider several factors when it comes to effectively managing their cover cropped acres, including factors that are unfortunately somewhat at odds with each other. These include:

Seeding cover crops could lead to warmer temperatures that enable no-tillers to plant cash crops earlier in the spring.

Cover crops can help reverse the effects of climate change by capturing and storing carbon in the soil. 

The added warmth captured by over-wintering cover crops may contribute to global warming.

Tall Vs. Short Plants

The NCAR researchers used computer simulations to look at the impact of cover crop height and plant leafiness based on the amount of snow cover and field temperatures. They looked at cover crops that were 4-, 12- and 20-inches tall along with plants having either one or four leaves.

Leaves Capture Heat

The researchers found leafy cover crops can dramatically warm the…