Cover crops increase soil organic matter, improve soil health, reduce erosion, suppress weed growth, conserve moisture, and scavenge soil nitrogen. Care should be taken to in selecting which specie or species to plant to meet your goals.

Fall planted cover crops comprise of those winter killed or winter hardy. Because of being November, those winter hardy such as winter wheat and cereal rye may be planted and then make their growth in the spring.

Small grains such as these are valuable in controlling erosion. If you are planting corn, and are using a small grain, it would be best to use winter wheat in fall or plant spring oats early spring. If you are planting soybean, consider planting cereal rye. All small grains will reduce soil erosion.

Aerial seeded cover crops had a difficult time establishing because of dry weather this fall. Don’t give up on them as they may lay dormant and germinate this spring, but the stand will be reduced.

Some growers will use drill or tillage to plant cover crops after harvest. This allows the seed to be placed for good soil-seed contact and is more consistent seeding method.

A tool is available to help one make choices on cover crop species to plant from Midwest Land-Grant Universities. This tool is the Midwest Cover Crop Selector Tool at: https://www.midwestcovercrops.org/selector-tool.

The Midwest states of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, and other states provided input and information and provided specific cover crop recommendations for individual states.

As cover crops increase, there are numerous ecological benefits including soil quality and water quality. In Missouri, your local Soil and Water District Boards may have cost-share funding to help you.

For more information, contact Wayne Flanary, Field Specialist in Agronomy, University of Missouri Extension at 816-279-1691, the Buchanan County Extension Center.