While a recent Texas study on the value of combining no-tillage with rye and mixed cover crops was done with cotton, the long-range results should hold true for corn and soybean growers in other areas of the country.

Conducted by USDA researchers at Lamessa, Texas, the long-term effects of conventional tillage and no-tillage with rye and mixed cover crops were simulated over a 30-year period on semi-arid soils.

During this time, researchers concluded that no-till sequestered soil organic carbon levels would increase by 40–59 % and total nitrogen by 23–26 % when cover crops were seeded compared to no-cover treatments. In addition, there was no negative impact on cotton yields over the three decades.

The researchers also found greater variability in soil water and yield with the benefits of utilizing both no-till and cover crops.

Sure these futuristic simulations were done under semi-arid conditions in Texas. But there’s no reason to believe you can’t cash in on similar increases in soil carbon and total nitrogen values in the years ahead with cover crops and no-till, regardless of where you farm.