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24 SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2015 I T WASNT SO long ago that cover crops were consid- ered a fad. Not ready to run ahead with a small crowd most farmers took a wait-and-see approach. They watched neighbors plant radishes grasses and oats after harvesting their cash crops with the hope of revitalizing soil stopping erosion and loosening compacted soil. Maybe it would work but better to let someone else dip into their thin margins to try it first. Clearly the fad has endured says Steve Groff founding part- ner of Cover Crop Solutions in Lititz Penn. He was one of the early adopters. After planting daikon radishes Groff found the soil immediately different. I noticed the following year the soil was more mellow where the radishes had gone to winter kill Groff says. The yields were also significantly higher where the radishes had been planted. What Groff couldnt find was a steady supply of radish seeds so he planted again the following season and harvested the seed. He thought hed have enough for about four years but neighbors started calling and he soon sold all he had. Clearly were past the fad stage. Were in the trend phase says Groff who saw the business potential that led to founding Cover Crop Solutions. According to the 2015 Cover Crop Survey conducted by the Conservation Technology Information Center CTIC the total acreage of cover crops planted by 1200 responding farmers increased 20 percent from 2013 to 2014. The survey also found that the average farmer who took part in the survey increased the acreage he or she planted from 225 acres in 2013 to 259 in 2014. Those same farmers say they plan to plant on average 300 acres each this year. Results Drive Decisions During the past five years Rob Myers a University of Missouri agronomist and regional Extension director for the North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education SARE program says total cover crop acreage among surveyed farmers has more than doubled and he doesnt expect it to slow anytime soon. Results are driving the acreage increase. The guys using cover crops notice that difference after a few years and talking to their neighbors definitely has a ripple effect Myers says. Cover crop users both anecdotally and through surveys report yield increases in crops following cover crops. The most recent CTICSARE survey reports a 2.1 percent increase in corn 3.7 bushels per acre compared to fields that did not have cover crops and soybean yields increased 4.2 percent 2.2 bushels per acre. Previous CTICSARE surveys also showed a yield increase particularly in the drought year of 2012. NO LONGER A FAD COVER CROP GAINING HOLD The acreage planted steadily increases year over year. Brian Wallheimer Cereal rye was one of the most common cover crops planted in 2014. PHOTO CTIC.