Cover crops are a recognized method for increasing soil health by reducing soil erosion, increasing soil organic matter and improving soil structure. Cover crops can also safeguard water quality by reducing nitrate leaching.

Incorporating cover crops into our cropping systems and moving from conventional tillage to no-till can improve soil organic matter, soil structure, and water and nutrient holding capacity of our soils. Recent research by South Dakota State University looked at the yield and N fertilizer requirements of corn and soybeans interseeded with single- and multi-species cover crops.

When Stefan Zehetner’s father, Eduard, emigrated from Europe to Canada in 1986, the soil on his family’s farm in Austria was dead.