Despite the frigid temperatures in northern climates, the soil is still teeming with life and protecting the plant roots, animals and microbes from freezing, says the Soil Science Society of America.

Cover crop adoption has been a little slower in parts of the Great Plains, possibly more over fear of the unknown than actual poor outcomes seen by growers. But researchers reviewing decades of cover-crop studies say there are plenty of benefits to covers, whether you farm in the warm southern Plains or cooler prairies of western Canada.