COLLEGE PARK, Md. — More than 650 farm advisers from across the U.S. participated in a survey on cover crops, shining light on how — and how frequently — they advise growers on cover crops.
A report on the survey was released by the Conservation Technology Information Center, USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, and the American Seed Trade Association.
This is the eighth national cover crop survey conducted by those groups since 2012 and the first to focus on advisers. The American Soybean Association also contributed to this report.
The survey was conducted online in October 2024. The combination of private and public sector advisers represented 46 states. Of the 654 advisers who participated in the survey, 77% were certified crop advisers, a certification conferred by the American Society of Agronomy.
There were 56 respondents in Illinois, 30 in Indiana and 64 in Iowa.
Here are some of the survey results.
Cover Crop Use
According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, 18 million acres of U.S. farmland were planted to cover crops in 2021-2022.
Among advisers participating in the survey, 54.9% (356 of 648 respondents) said 1% to 25% of their farmer clients planted cover crops. The next highest category was 26% to 50% of clients using cover crops, reported by 138 (21.3%).
The 51% to 75% category, with 72 respondents (11.1%) was nearly equaled by the 76% to 100% choice, selected by 67 (10.3%). Just 15 advisers (2.3%) reported no clients using cover crops.
Cover Crops Fit
Half of 652 respondents (328, or 50.3%) who answered a question about how cover crops fit the area they serve said the practice works in some, but not all, cases in their region.
Another 242 (37.1%) agreed with the statement, “Cover crops are a great option for most of my farmers and I highly recommend them.”
On the more guarded side, 75 advisers (11.5%) selected “Cover crops are occasionally of use, but I do not promote them widely,” and 7 (1.1%) said they do not recommend cover crops in their region.
Top Barriers
Asked to select the top three cover crop topics they are asked about most by farmers, species mix selection was No. 1 with 368 responses (66.7% of the 552 advisers who followed the instruction to select three choices).
Questions about economic returns from cover crops came in second with 300 advisers (54.4%), while timing of termination was the pick of 272 (49.3%) and the closely related question of how to terminate cover crops was noted by 172 (31.1%).
Seeding — either the timing of cover crop seeding, selected by 207 (37.5%), or establishment of cover crop seed, the choice of 159 (28.8%) — is also widely sought information.
One in 3 advisers (178, or 32.3%) noted that the farmers they advise place environmental benefits of cover crops in their top 3 topics of inquiry.
Top Benefits
Advisers seem well in tune with the cover crop issues that are important to their clients. Asked “What are your top three promoted benefits when advising farmers new to cover crops?” the 547 respondents who identified three topics selected a wide range of options.
The leading benefit — selected by 358 advisors, or 65.4% — was improving soil health, followed by reducing erosion at 323 (59%). Improving soil structure came in third with 184 responses (33.6%), ahead of water infiltration at 164 (29.9%), which was closely followed improved weed management 161, or 29.4%.
Reason for Starting
The clear leader in motivation for their clients to start using cover crops was reducing erosion, selected by 157 of the 649 respondents (24.2%) who answered the question. Close behind were receiving an incentive payment, chosen by 144 (22.2%), and improving soil health (126/19.4%). Coming in a relatively distant fourth place was producing forage for livestock, identified by 74 advisers (11.4%).
Improving weed management, with 31 respondents (4.8%), was roughly tied with improving soil structure (30/4.6%).
Adding soil organic matter/sequestering carbon was selected by 18 respondents (2.8%), while 16 (2.5%) chose improving water infiltration, and 12 (1.8%) identified providing nitrogen for a cash crop as a motivator.
Five (0.8%) said landlord requirements were a reason clients started using cover crops, while 3 (0.5%) selected improving insect or disease management and 2 (0.3%) chose attracting beneficial insects.
Reasons for Stopping
Asked for reasons their farmer clients stopped using cover crops, the overwhelming answer — with nearly 1 in 3 respondents (200 of 642, or 31.2%) — was a lack of measurable economic return. Time and labor requirements accounted for 130 responses (20.2%), and yield reduction in the following cash crop garnered 100 (15.6%).
Concerns about cover crops using too much moisture received 46 votes (7.2%) and the opposite case of fields being too wet in the spring was next at 31 responses, or 4.8%.
Twenty-seven respondents (4.2%) selected achieving a good stand, increased production risk was noted by 24 (3.7%), and fears of cover crops becoming weeds was identified by 22 (3.4%). Wrapping up the possibilities were nitrogen immobilization and increased insect potential at 6 votes (0.9%) apiece, increased disease potential with 5 respondents (0.8%) and concerns about seeding the right species garnering 1 note (0.2%).
Forty-four respondents selected “other” reasons clients stopped using cover crops. The most commonly cited reasons in write-ins were problems or the end of incentive programs, noted by 9 advisers. Termination challenges were cited by 7, while cost or expense was identified by 5.
Eight advisers commented that they have not seen any of their clients stop using cover crops once they had started with the practice.
Barriers
Among non-user clients, an almost equal number of advisers said the lack of perceived measurable economic return (selected by 479 of 649 respondents, or 73.8%, who were allowed to choose multiple answers) and time or labor required (selected by 478) were barriers to adoption.
A similar economic worry was the third-largest barrier: concern about potential yield reduction in the following cash crop was noted by 327 (50.4%).
Concerns that the cover crop could use too much moisture was flagged by 256 advisers (39.5%); the opposite worry, that fields would be too wet in the spring, was the next most popular choice with 237 respondents (36.5%).
Cover crops becoming weeds was the next worry in line, with 217 advisers (33.4%), followed by increased production risk, selected by 206 (31.7%).
Nitrogen immobilization (139 for 21.4%) and increased insect potential (109 for 16.8%) were followed by worries about achieving a good stand (9 for 14.9%).
Seeding the right species nearly tied with increased disease potential at 59 and 58 respondents, respectively (9.1% and 8.9%).
Other Highlights
The advisers who used cover crops on their own farms were five times more likely to recommend cover crops to farmers not yet using them compared to advisers who did not farm with cover crops themselves.
Advisers using cover crops on their own farms tended to have a much higher percentage of clients using cover crops — 22.3% of the advisers who use cover crops themselves reported 25% to 50% of their clients using covers, compared to 9.1% at the same level of adoption among clients of advisers who did not personally use cover crops.
The farm advisers surveyed used a wide range of information sources to learn about cover crops. Advisers who reported that they learned about cover crops on-the-job rather than through formal academic or training channels preferred training sessions (63.9%) and webinars (57.4%) for learning new cover crop insights, but also liked learning from farmers one-on-one (58.3%) and visiting field trials (30.6%).
Looking ahead, 56.9% of the farm advisers expected to see cover crop acreage continue to increase. They also expected farmers to continue increasing use of cover crop mixes (46.7%) and trying ways of combining other soil health practices with cover crops (52.9%). The advisers expected a moderate amount of interest in newer cover crop topics like planting green (29.2%), grazing cover crops (32.2%), and others.
“Advisers play a key role in informing farmers about cover crops and providing technical assistance to help them succeed with covers,” said Rob Myers, University of Missouri, director of the U of M Center for Regenerative and regional director of extension programs for North Central Region SARE.
“Understanding their attitudes toward cover crops, how they get their information, and how they perceive cover crop benefits will help guide efforts to support those advisers.”
“As part of the agriculture and food sector based on innovation, better understanding trends and motivations for planting cover crops enables the seed industry to improve cover crop varieties and use new technologies in the areas most impactful to American agriculture,” said Andy LaVigne, ASTA president and CEO.
“Recognizing and adapting to the needs and desires of farmers allows the seed 2 industry to adequately prepare, and ultimately provide, the right seed for the right farm at the right time.”
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