126 / SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2017 World’s sister publication editor of European Seed Marcel Bruins. “I can imagine several seed companies which are breeding varieties which do well as cover crops, but no specific company [primarily focused on cover crop breeding] comes to mind.” First the Goal, Then the Seed “When first-time cover crop farmers ask me to recommend the best seed to plant, I tell them they are asking the wrong ques- tion,” Bowers says. “They should first tell me why they want to plant a cover crop, what is their goal? What return are they expecting?” Bowers states there is no more of a best crop to plant than there is a best wrench in a mechanic’s tool box. Every tool is useful in the right situation. Every situation has the best tool for the job. “When farmers’ justifications for planting a cover crop are nothing more than their neighbors have cover crops, they are setting themselves for disappointment,” Bowers says. “Even when the purpose seems similar, different environments can be best served by different covers.” The best cover for weed suppression on a certified organic field, for example, may not be the best cover for a conventional field with different tillage practices and different forms of weed pressure. For a plant breeder looking ahead 15 years to outline a cover crop breeding program, there is no crystal ball. A corn breeder is at somewhat of an advantage because per acre yield will always be a relevant indicator of a new hybrid’s potential success. Cover crops have multiple success indicators, which makes setting a target for a breeding program more ambiguous. “Fifteen year ago we stepped outside the box to envision the market for today’s cover crops,” says Risa DeMasi, Partner and Director of Marketing for Grassland Oregon. “We made some speculative decisions that are fortunately being proven cor- rect. Now the challenge for us is to educate our distributors and their customers on how best to manage these new products to achieve grower’s goals.” With projections that cover crop acres will reach 50 million in the near future, it is certainly possible that more breeders will be stepping outside the box to develop new cover crop varieties. SW “I would expect to see some neat things from small grain breeding companies in the very near future.” — Dan Foor