INDIANAPOLIS— According to a recent conservation survey by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Hoosier farmers planted an estimated 1.5 million acres of overwintering living cover crops in the late fall of 2021, matching the record 1.5 million acres planted in 2020.
Overwintering living covers are known for their environmental benefits. Cover crops and small grains help increase organic matter in the soil and improve overall soil health by adding living roots to the soil for additional months out of the year.
Indiana farmers typically plant fewer than 300,000 acres of small grains annually, so cover crops vastly dominate the 1.5 million estimated acres. Except for corn and soybeans, cover crops are planted on more acres than any other commodity crop in the state.
Click here or visit isda.in.gov to see the results of the survey.