BCRC Cover Crop Fact Sheet

Cover crops are planted with the intent to build and improve the soil. Cover crops are usually seeded in diverse annual mixes comprised of five, ten, or even twenty species, although they can include biennial or perennial species. Cover crops can be used to protect soil and prevent it from eroding, build organic matter and work as a green manure or plough-down crops. Companion crops, as they are also known, can be a valuable and quick-growing source of forage for livestock, and provide grazing in the same year the crop is seeded. Cover crops also allow cropland and pastures to be more efficient with water and nutrient cycling, and less reliant on costly inputs such as fertilizer.

read more…. BCRC Cover Crops Fact Sheet