Cover Crop Management

Looking for an innovative way to boost soil health and fertility on your farm? Cover cropping is for you! Cover crops are used to build soil fertility and organic matter, keep soil in place, and manage compaction, field moisture, weeds, pests and disease. Contact our farm team to lean how we're collaborating with and supporting farmers to apply the latest cover crop research to our regional farming systems.

COVER CROP FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

We have financial assistance for cover cropping available every year! Contact your PCD farm specialist to develop a cover cropping plan that fits your production goals and site conditions and match current funding opportunities to your cover cropping project.

MANAGE COVER CROPS WITH OUR NO-TILL SEED DRILL AND FLAIL MOWER!

Make seeding cover crops a cinch by utilizing our pull-type no-till seed drill or Woods compact seeder. We also have a flail mower available as an option for terminating cover crops and leaving residue evenly chopped and distributed. Visit our farm services and equipment page for more information and see other equipment available to rent or borrow.

Cover Cropping in the Puyallup Valley Story Map

View current cover cropping projects across Pierce County and helpful guidance from local farmers.

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PCD Western Cover Crop Regional Guide

View comparative performance assessments on various cover crop species in terms of benefits, tolerance to environmental conditions, and termination methods.

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REGIONAL COVER CROP RESOURCES

Western Cover Crop Council

Stay up to date on the latest cover crop research, workshops, and networking opportunities, visit the Western Cover Crop Council website here.
Cover Crop Selection Tool for the Western Region expected to launch in 2025

WSU

WSU Puyallup Organic Farming Systems and Nutrient Management Program - Cover Crops - access information on past and current cover crop trials and other publications out of WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center
Reduced Tillage with Cover Crops - see various methods of cover crop termination in action
Reduced Tillage in Organic Production - see one strip tillage method using cover crops
On-Farm Summer Cover Crop Research - evaluate combinations of buckwheat, sudangrass and clover mixes
Compost and Fertilizer to Improve Cover Crop Success: On-Farm Demonstration at Four Elements Farm
No-Till Cover Crop Seeding in Organic Vegetable Systems - compare cover crop success in tilled vs. no-till systems
2019 Cover Crop Roundtable - regional farmers and researchers convene to present cover crop work and network
Cover Crops for Home Gardens West of the Cascades - a resource also applicable to the farm scale focusing on choosing the best cover crops for Washington and Oregon, west of the Cascades
Methods for Successful Cover Crop Management in Your Home Garden - a resource also applicable to the farm scale focusing on methods for managing garden cover crops, including planning, planting, managing nutrients, and terminating plants

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Adaptation of 59 Cover Crop Cultivars in Western Oregon - The USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Center in Corvallis, Oregon participated in a 3-year trial with other PMCs across the country to evaluate the adaptation and growth potential of common, commercially available cover crop species and cultivars.
Warm Season Cover Crops for Western Oregon - The USDA-NRCS Plant Materials Center in Corvallis, Oregon completed a study to evaluate commercially available summer cover crops for the Willamette Valley of western Oregon
Cover Crop (340) in Organic Systems - An overview of how cover crops are integrated into organic operations, covers crop choice, field preparation, termination and overviews of various working cover crop systems

General Cover Crop Resources

SARE Cover Crops Topic Room - an exhaustive resource for all things cover crop-- publications, project summaries and producer videos are just some of the many resources accessible through this site!
Managing Cover Crops Profitably - explores how and why cover crops work, and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into any farming operation, along with detailed management information on the most commonly used species and these helpful Cover Crop Charts