Experimental research fields at the Campus Farm are lush with rye and clover. Part of a national cover crop variety testing program a the University of Missouri's Center for Regenerative Agriculture, Dr. Etienne Sutton planted these crops last September. The program is working to evaluate different cover crop species and varieties across the U.S., focusing on winter survival, weed suppression, and biomass production. This information will feed a database helping farmers make the most effective management decisions for their farms. The program aims to reduce barriers and encourage broader adoption. “In order to get greater adoption, farmers need to understand that there are options out there that will work well to meet their specific management goals,” Sutton explains. “If you don't pick the right option for your farm, you may end up with more problems than solutions. So we really don't want farmers to feel discouraged just because they may not have picked the right fit for their farm.

Planting Between Seasons? Here’s Rye 

In many farming systems, there are seasonal windows between cash crop rotations. If soil is left bare during those windows, farm fields are susceptible to erosion, nutrient loss, or invasion by weeds. 

Instead, farmers can plant a cover crop in the interim, which offers ecological benefits as it grows. Different types of cover crops can prevent erosion, repel weeds, and even supply nutrients. For example, legume cover crops have the capacity for biological nitrogen fixation, enriching the soil with nutrients for the next set of crops. Cover crops can also increase soil carbon storage by returning biomass into the soil, helping sustainable farmers meet carbon sequestration goals.

Not only are cover crops effective, but they are beautiful - “They're not only environmentally beneficial, but also they're nice aesthetically, especially when they're flowering and attracting pollinators,” Etienne shares. And more than that, they have a charismatic charm to them. “When farmers have been using cover crops for a while, they will often end up with a favorite cover crop. And so one of the things I like to ask them is what their favorite cover crop is.” Etienne’s favorite? Buckwheat. 

Sutton’s preliminary observations point to the importance of variety selection for effective management. 

“This work is part of a really broad and collaborative national project, where the goal is to develop new and improved cover crop varieties that suit the needs of farmers across different regions, farming systems, and management goals, and then to also train farmershow to produce seed for these cover crops. All of this together is intended to help achieve our goal of diversifying the agricultural landscape.”

Advice from a soil expert? Etienne encourages mindfulness in our food choices. “There are lots of different ways that farms can produce food sustainably. And [using] cover crops is just one of those tools in a large toolbox. So being aware of how the ways that farmers are producing food influence our ecological systems, as well as human health, is just one way we can all contribute to building a sustainable and resilient food system.”