Just over half of the nation's largest farms said they planted cover crops in 2017, showing increased acceptance of the practice's benefits for soil health, according to a newly released Agriculture Department survey. Here are some of the takeaways from the poll:
- In 2017, farmers reported planting 15.4 million acres of cover crops, a 50-percent increase compared to the 10.3 million acres reported in 2012.
- 81% of growers with cover crops said the practice improved soil health and crop yields. One in seven said it improved soil health but not crop yields.
- 48% of farmers polled said they abandoned cover crops in the past or have never planted them before.
- Field-level surveys of corn, cotton, soybean, and wheat fields reveal the use of cover crops; and rates of expanded adoption are highest on fields that include corn silage in the rotation and lowest on fields that include wheat.
- In 2018, about one-third of the acreage planted with a cover crop received a financial assistance payment from either Federal, State, or other programs that support cover crop adoption.
from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/3iCH0H2 USDA: More big farms embrace cover crops - Entrepreneur Generations
0 Response to "USDA: More big farms embrace cover crops - Entrepreneur Generations"
Post a Comment