Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey Shares Tips for Managing Cover Crops

Cover crops are becoming very popular in the Iowa farming community as they commonly reduce erosion and improve soil health.
Cover crops are becoming very popular in the Iowa farming community as they commonly reduce erosion and improve soil health.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey coordinated with the Iowa cover crop working group to release a series of tips on spring crop management on April 2. The goal was to assist farmers who are new to growing cover crops to enrich soil.

Some of the tips that Northey shared include the use of herbicides to manage cover crops and planning ahead for the fall.

“We have seen tremendous growth in the number of farmers using cover crops on their farm as they seek to reduce erosion, protect water quality and improve soil health,” said Northey. “As with any new practice there can be a significant learning curve. These tips can hopefully help farmers have a successful experience which encourages them to grow cover crops again in the future.”

Previous research from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences shows that there are several benefits to growing cover crops. Some of these advantages include higher levels of carbon and nitrogen in soils, erosion prevention and weed suppression.

“Nutrient-retention benefits occur primarily during cover crop growth, weed-suppression benefits occur during cash-crop growth through a cover crop legacy effect, and soil-carbon benefits accrue slowly over decades,” said Meagan Schipanski, lead researcher and postdoctoral scholar at Penn State.

Thousands of Iowa farmers are currently using cost share through state and federal programs to grow cover crops. Many are doing so on their own with no assistance.

For more information on growing cover crops and all of Northey’s tips, visit http://www.cleanwateriowa.org/farm-practices.aspx.