Indiana farmers have planted a record 1.6 million acres of cover crops this year, according to the 2023 conservation survey.
Shannon Zezula, state resource conservationist, said cover crops are crops that are not meant to be harvested; they are planted in the fall and stay in the soil until the spring to help recycle nutrients and improve soil health. Cover crops include rye, legumes and clover.
“A lot of our farmers are seeing that they’re more resilient against these extreme weather events, erosion and flooding,” Zezula said. “It helps them in the long term.”
Zezula said about 10 percent of Indiana’s 12-million-acre farmland has cover crops; 10 years ago, barely one percent of the state’s acreage was devoted to growing cover crops. Cover crops help farmers in southern Indiana with erosion due to the hilly landscape.
Source: indianapublicmedia.org
Photo Credit: minnesota-corn-growers-association
Categories: Indiana, Crops