Benefits of Cover Crops
Erosion Control
Cover crops provide erosion control. Fast-growing cover crops, such as most annual species, hold soil in place. Fallow fields often lose tons of topsoil per acre each year.
Weed Suppression
Vigorous cover crops can significantly suppress the germination and/or growth of weeds, reducing the amount of herbicide use.
Deep Soil Tilth
NitroRadish® can break soil compaction up to 3 feet deep or more, allowing crops to mine deeper nutrients and moisture.
Increase Organic Content
Organic content is essential in increasing water infiltration, water-holding capacity, and improving beneficial micro-organism activity in the soil.
Nutrient Storage
Cover crops improve the biological, chemical, and physical soil properties. Cover crops store nutrients from manure, mineralized organic nitrogen or underutilized fertilizer until the following years' crop can utilize them, reducing nutrient runoff and leaching.
Forage Production
NitroRadish® and TNT Vetch® are excellent for grazing in mixes while TNT Vetch can also be used in a hay/silage mix. These cover crops can often product 3 to 6 tons of dry matter per acre in the cash crop "off-season."
Improved Water Infiltration
Cover crops can significantly increase soil's water infiltration, drainage, and water-holding capacity.
Carbon Storage
The roots and shoots of cover crops feed bacteria, fungi, earthworms and other soil organisms, which increases soil carbonlevels over time.