Cover Crops & Regenerative Ag Services

What Are Cover Crops & Regenerative Ag Services?

Cover cropping and soil health practices focus on building and maintaining healthy, productive soils through cover crops, reduced tillage, diverse rotations, and organic matter management. These practices improve long-term productivity while providing environmental benefits.

Why Soil Health Matters

Healthy soils grow better crops with fewer inputs. Soil health affects water infiltration, nutrient cycling, erosion resistance, and crop resilience. Dairy farms that prioritize soil health often see improved yields, reduced input costs, and better environmental outcomes.

Key Benefits

• Improved yields: Healthier soils produce more
• Reduced erosion: Cover crops and organic matter hold soil in place
• Better water management: Improved infiltration reduces runoff
• Nutrient cycling: Capture and recycle nutrients
• Cost savings: Less tillage, fewer inputs over time

Cover Crop Options

Grasses

Cereal rye, annual ryegrass, oats, and other grasses provide erosion control, scavenge nitrogen, and add organic matter.

Legumes

Crimson clover, hairy vetch, and other legumes fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, reducing fertilizer needs for following crops.

Brassicas

Radishes, turnips, and rapeseed break up compaction and cycle nutrients. Some provide grazing opportunities.

Mixes

Multi-species mixes combine benefits of different plant types for maximum soil health impact.

Soil Health Practices

• Reduced tillage: Minimize soil disturbance to protect structure
• Continuous living roots: Keep something growing year-round
• Diverse rotations: Include different crop types over time
• Manure management: Apply dairy manure to build organic matter
• Grazing integration: Livestock can be part of soil-building systems

Do You Need to Focus on Soil Health?

Consider prioritizing soil health if:

• Yields are declining or inconsistent
• Erosion or runoff are visible problems
• Fields require increasing inputs to maintain production
• You want to reduce environmental footprint
• Cost reduction through fewer inputs is appealing

Cost Considerations

Cover crop seed costs $15-50/acre depending on species. Planting adds $10-25/acre. Reduced tillage lowers fuel and equipment costs. Benefits accumulate over years—improved soil health builds gradually but persists. Many conservation programs offer cost-share for cover crops.