A vision and roadmap for the next generation of agricultural systems

Cover Crop Working Group

Contact:
Dr. Helene Murray
411 Borlaug Hall
1991 Buford Circle
St. Paul, MN 55108

612-625-8235
hmurray@umn.edu

The Midwest Cover Crops Council seeks to significantly increase the amount of continuous living cover on the Upper Midwestern agricultural landscape. From cities to the countryside, this transition in landscape design will produce numerous ecological benefits, including improvements in water, air and soil quality. As the public grows increasingly aware of our collective ecological footprint and its relationship to climate change and water quality, the effort to add living cover to our landscape can generate new sources of renewable energy, mitigate greenhouse gases, reduce the use of agricultural chemicals, and provide novel income streams for rural communities.

In an era where the Mississippi River Basin and Great Lakes watershed suffer from serious environmental degradation, this shift in agricultural systems can play a significant and positive role in revitalizing and restoring our lakes, rivers, fields, and communities. To effectively achieve our aim of broad adoption of cover crops by farmers, we will build a vital and effective regional collaboration of agencies, individuals and the general public.

The overarching aim of the Midwest Cover Crops Council is to facilitate adoption of cover crops by thirty percent of farmers in the Upper Midwest by 2020. We also seek to elevate the awareness about the potentials, uses, and applications of cover crops of seventy percent of Midwestern farmers during this time. To reach this goal, we will conduct relevant research, develop effective educational materials and events, develop strategies for public engagement, advocate for supportive policy, and create new models for collaborative leadership that will lead to this beneficial innovation. As a result of our efforts, we will be recognized as the national leader on cover crops and the use of perennial plants in agricultural systems.

For more information about this working group and/or to become a partner, please contact Don Wyse, University of Minnesota, via email wysex@umn.edu or phone 612-625-7064.

Midwest Cover Crops Council Website

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