By Andi Anderson
Indiana farmers are showing their strong commitment to soil conservation by planting an estimated 1.6 million acres of overwintering living covers, including cover crops and small grains. According to the latest conservation transect survey, this places Indiana among the top states in the country for cover crop adoption.
Cover crops, such as legumes and grains like wheat, play a vital role in protecting and improving soil health. These crops help add organic matter to the soil, enhance water infiltration, reduce erosion, and filter runoff. Most importantly, they keep living roots in the ground during winter, protecting the land when it is most vulnerable.
“Hoosier farmers are committed to preserving one of God’s most precious gifts – Earth,” said Lieutenant Governor Beckwith, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture. “Overwintering covers help farmers care for their land and pass it on to future generations.”
Indiana typically plants fewer than 300,000 acres of small grains annually, so the majority of the 1.6 million acres are cover crops. After corn and soybeans, cover crops are now the third most common planted crop in the state.
Don Lamb, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture and a Boone County farmer, added, “As a farmer who contributes to planting a small portion of Indiana’s 1.6 million acres of cover crops and wheat, I am thankful that thousands of other farms are committed to using these tools and reducing sediment loss and nutrient runoff.”
Thanks to these conservation practices, it is estimated that 1.8 million tons of sediment were kept out of Indiana’s waterways—enough to fill around 18,000 train freight cars.
The survey also revealed that 70% of row crop acres were not tilled after the 2024 harvest, while 18% saw reduced tillage, showing continued adoption of no-till and low-till farming practices statewide.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-eugenesergeev
Categories: Indiana, Sustainable Agriculture