In the winter of 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducted a survey on cover crops. More than 1,900 farmers participated in the survey, according to the USDA.
Farmers who planted corn in a field following a cover crop, had a 3.1 percent increase in yield compared to side-by-side fields with no cover crops. Likewise, soybean yields increased 4.3 percent following cover crops, according to the survey.
With assistance from the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), farmers and ranchers are using cover crops to protect soil—their most valuable asset. Over the past six years, NRCS has helped landowners plant close to 6 million acres of cover crops by providing both financial and technical assistance.
Practices like cover crops help increase organic matter in the soil. In fact, 1 percent of organic matter in the top six inches of soil can hold about 27,000 gallons of water per acre. Increasing organic matter increases the holding capacity for water, making land more resilient to extreme weather.