Indiana Cover Crop Adoption Good, Still Room to Grow

Indiana is among the top states in the nation for cover crop adoption. A recent survey showed Hoosier farmers planted an estimated 1.6 million acres of overwinter living cover crops and small grains, like wheat, which are known for their environmental benefits.

Ben Wicker, executive director of the Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance, or IANA, says they strive to achieve 3 goals for the state: healthy soil, clean water, and viable farms.

“1.6 million acres of living green cover in Indiana over the past year is a tremendous accomplishment and continues to seat Indiana at the top of the nation in terms of the percentage of our acres that are utilizing that practice. But we know that there’s still space, and there are still areas that can continue to see benefit from increased adoption.”

Wicker educated Class 21 of the Indiana Ag Leadership Program from AgrIInstitute this past week as part of a conservation themed session in Warsaw.

1.6 million is good, but Wicker and IANA have their sights on a higher goal- 40% of Indiana’s farmland. USDA says Indiana has about 14.5 million acres currently in operation, so the goal would be somewhere around 5.8 million.

“I like to summarize it as, ‘Let’s grow more things more often,’ because we know that living roots in the soil are always going to be beneficial to improving that soil health, to helping retain those nutrients on the soil, and keeping things cycled.”

How can IANA help?

“By giving farmers the tools that help mitigate the risk of losses and having good technical assistance out there to understand how can I manage this in a way that’s not going to cause me, certainly, yield losses in those years where we’re continuing to build that health up. But then, what are the other resources that are going to allow me to do this consistently over a longer period of time to accomplish those changes in that soil that’s going to lead to that improved productivity and improved soil health that I’m looking for.”

To learn more about the Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliance, 4R nutrient management, and the resources they offer, visit keepitmidwest.com.

Hear the full HAT interview with Wicker below.