Cover Crop Use Increasing Yields, Reducing Herbicide-resistant Weeds

By: Jacqui Fatka

The use of cover crops is becoming a more mainstream practice as a new farmer survey reveals acreage planted in cover crops has nearly doubled over the past five years. With the increased use, tangible benefits to farmers are also on the rise as the survey revealed farmers reported increased yields of corn, soybeans and wheat and saw an improvement in the control of herbicide-resistant weeds.

The survey of 2,012 farmers was conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) with help from Purdue University and funding support from USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).

Survey participants—88% of whom use cover crops—reported that after cover crops:

Corn yields increased an average of 2.3 bushels per acre, or 1.3%;
Soybean yields increased 2.1 bushels per acre, or 3.8%;
Wheat yields increased 1.9 bushels per acre, or 2.8%.

The last USDA Census of Agriculture found that farmers planted more than 10 million acres of cover crops in 2012. The new agricultural census, which will begin this fall, is likely to find several million additional acres of cover crops planted in 2017.

The average number of acres of cover crops planted per respondent has also been on a steady rise. Farmers reported planting a mean of 400 acres of cover crops each in 2016, up from 334 in 2015, 281 in 2014, 245 in 2013 and 217 in 2012. The rise is projected to continue, with respondents planning to plant an average of 451 acres of cover crops each in 2017.