Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Call for Research Editor
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current Issue
    • Early Online
    • Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • Info For
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • About
    • About JSWC
    • Editorial Board
    • Call for Research Editor
    • Permissions
    • Alerts
    • RSS Feeds
    • Contact Us
  • Follow SWCS on Twitter
  • Visit SWCS on Facebook
Research ArticleA Section

The state of the cover crop nation and how to set realistic future goals for the popular conservation practice

Abbe V. Hamilton, David A. Mortensen and Melanie Kammerer Allen
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation September 2017, 72 (5) 111A-115A; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.72.5.111A
Abbe V. Hamilton
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
David A. Mortensen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Melanie Kammerer Allen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Excerpt

Cover cropping is a conservation practice that has captured the enthusiasm of farmers and conservation professionals alike over the past decade. The practice, planting crops primarily “to manage soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, or wildlife,” (USDA NASS 2012) has grown in popularity over the last 10 years to a level not seen since the advent of widespread adoption of synthetic fertilizers following WWII (Craven 1926; White 2015; Magdoff and Van Es 2009). Many federal agencies and farming and environmental stewardship groups have ambitious targets for increased adoption of the practice. In 2012, the National Wildlife Federation called for cover cropping 4 million (12%) of the 33.6 million ha (10 million of 83 million ac) of cropland in the Mississippi River Basin by 2015 and 40 million cover cropped ha (100 million ac) nationwide by 2025 (Bryant et al. 2013). In 2014, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service called for a doubling of cover cropped land from 4 to 8 million ha (10 to 20 million ac) by 2020 at the National Conference for Cover Crops and Soil Health in Omaha, Nebraska (SARE 2014). These cover crop goals are stated in the format of land area in a…

  • © 2017 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Soil and Water Conservation: 72 (5)
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
Vol. 72, Issue 5
September/October 2017
  • Table of Contents
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Soil and Water Conservation.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
The state of the cover crop nation and how to set realistic future goals for the popular conservation practice
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
10 + 3 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
The state of the cover crop nation and how to set realistic future goals for the popular conservation practice
Abbe V. Hamilton, David A. Mortensen, Melanie Kammerer Allen
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Sep 2017, 72 (5) 111A-115A; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.72.5.111A

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Request Permissions
Share
The state of the cover crop nation and how to set realistic future goals for the popular conservation practice
Abbe V. Hamilton, David A. Mortensen, Melanie Kammerer Allen
Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Sep 2017, 72 (5) 111A-115A; DOI: 10.2489/jswc.72.5.111A
Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Carbon and nitrogen release from cover crop residues and implications for cropping systems management
  • What do we know about cover crop efficacy in the North Central United States?
  • Conservation management and ecosystem services in midwestern United States agricultural systems
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

A Section

  • Agriculture in the North Western Sahara Aquifer System: A miracle in the making?
  • A vision for integrated, collaborative solutions to critical water and food challenges
  • Progress in soil erosion research: A European perspective
Show more A Section

Viewpoint

  • Smart climate initiatives for United States cropland
  • Progress in soil erosion research: A European perspective
  • Global connections: A case for international perspectives
Show more Viewpoint

Similar Articles

Content

  • Current Issue
  • Early Online
  • Archive
  • Subject Collections

Info For

  • Authors
  • Reviewers
  • Subscribers
  • Advertisers

Customer Service

  • Subscriptions
  • Permissions and Reprints
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

SWCS

  • Membership
  • Publications
  • Meetings and Events
  • Conservation Career Center

© 2023 Soil and Water Conservation Society