Cover Crops

Many farmers and gardeners are incorporating cover crops in their crop fields/gardens. They are planting some combination of oilseed radishes, annual & cereal rye, Austrian winter peas, oats and buckwheat after crops have been harvested. This provides ground cover over winter to protect the soil. Many people are unaware of what these crops look like or they may mistake them as something else. The radishes have caused quite a stir in some communities after frost when they start to decay and smell like natural gas.   Fairfield SWCD started placing signs at some locations and identified them on the District website and Facebook page, so that interested parties may locate cover crop stands within their watershed. Some of the cover crops serve double duty and can be grazed.  Cover Crop Booklet