Cash crops, and their residues, are the best cover crops

By Andrew McGuire
Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources

Think about this. If a cash crop provides all the benefits of a cover crop and generates a profit, should we consider it a cover crop? The National Association of Wheat Growers thinks so. They are petitioning the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to issue a technical note recognizing winter wheat as a cover crop, even when harvested. Their argument is that winter wheat, when managed well, matches or exceeds the benefits of traditional cover crops in controlling erosion, scavenging nutrients, disrupting pest cycles, and improving soil health( Simão et al., 2024). The wheat growers have a point. Read the rest of the article here.