The past, present, and future of the cover crop industry

HISTORICAL COVER CROP USE The use of the crops we commonly refer to as cover crops can be traced back over the millennia. Ancient civilizations depended on their use to enhance the growth of crops they cultivated for food. Native Americans utilized a concept called “Three Sisters” where corn (Zea mays L.), edible beans, and squash were grown together as the benefits of diversity were realized. This strategy established a foundation of the effectiveness of the synergy of mixed species that is so prevalent in cover cropping today.

Cover crops were used nearly two hundred years before World War II. In fact, you could argue that the first US president, George Washington, who was also a well-known farmer by trade, was one of the foremost promoters in America for cover crops. His crop rotations were strategically listed to include “crops grown to eat and sell” and “crops grown to replenish the soil.” Clover, grass, and buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) were listed as those he incorporated into his cropping system (Mount Vernon Ladies' Association 2015). Many farmers in the new frontier were farming the land for a dozen years or so only to observe the soil erode and become less productive…