Wisconsin farmers are sharing how they use cover crops and helping to improve cover cropping for farmers all around the state through the Wisconsin Cover Crop Survey. Dan Smith, Southwest Regional Agronomist for UW-Madison, says this survey has helped them to fill critical knowledge gaps concerning the performance of cover crops after different harvest cycles.

“The primary goal of the survey was to assess the biomass produced by cover crops after fall or summer-harvested crops, aiming to understand the efficacy of various cover crop species in Wisconsin's agricultural ecosystems,” explains Smith.

Of the data collected, Smith says winter rye emerged as the most popular cover crop post-harvest, exhibiting great biomass yields, particularly after summer-harvested crops.