Lift The Lid On Cover Crops
A recent study published in the 2020 Journal of the ASFMRA recently explored the multifaceted benefits of utilizing cover crops in cotton and peanut production systems in Georgia agriculture. Along with identifying the benefits of adopting this conservation practice, this study also examined both the costs and incentives associated with cover crop adoption.
The findings of this study indicated that farmers’ initial motivation for planting cover crops was to prevent soil erosion. However, focus group participants indicated that after planting cover crops for a number of years, they began to realize additional benefits from the practice that they had not originally intended.
Adopting this practice did lead to some additional farm costs, such as the need to purchase new equipment and for additional farm management time. However, the overall determination of this study was that, in many circumstances, the utilization of cover crops could be advantageous in a farming operation.
