The hum of planters can be heard on farms across the country this time of year, as farmers are busy getting their crops planted.
The USDA estimates that over 178 million acres will be planted into corn or soybeans this season. But, some farmers are looking to break that rotation – and looking at their operation with a new lens.
“What we’re trying to get away from a little bit is just doing that same rotation… raising corn and beans,” said a South Dakota farmer who is enrolled in our Grass is Greener program. “So this year, we were able to get some spring wheat planted. That really enables us to get a cover crop in and try to heal the soil a little bit.”
In addition to the soil benefits from the cover crop, the producer plans to graze cattle, helping improve his on-farm forage by the natural process of disturbance that plants require to flourish.
When meeting with farmers to learn about their operation and goals, our advisors often hear these same sentiments. Through our free incentive programs like the Grass is Greener Program, we help producers accomplish this by implementing practices like cover crop establishment, forage plantings, or adding small grains or oilseeds for a more diverse rotation.
How Crop Diversity Can Benefit Your Operation
A well-planned, diverse crop rotation offers many benefits: breaking pest and disease cycles, greater soil health, better nutrient cycling, and improved water efficiency. A diverse rotation includes three or more crops, ideally from different plant families and with different root structures, growth habits, and nutrient demands. Here’s how that plant diversity benefits your land:
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Soil Biology: Different crops feed different communities of microbes in the soil through their root exudates. Diverse rotations encourage broader microbial activity, which leads to better soil structure and function.
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Nutrient Use: Alternating deep-rooted crops with shallow-rooted ones helps access nutrients at different depths.
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Weed and Pest Suppression: Each crop changes the timing, canopy structure, and chemistry of the field. That shift can help break weed and pest cycles.
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Water Efficiency and Drought Resilience: Rotations that include crops with varying water demands and rooting depths help manage moisture better, especially in dry climates. Deep-rooted crops access subsoil moisture, help break up compaction or tightly bound soil aggregates, and improve infiltration; while crops with high water-use efficiency can help supplemental irrigation go further.
Get Started
AgSpire offers free incentive programs to help farmers and ranchers meet their land and business goals through regenerative and conservation practices – including adding diversity to your crop rotation. Sign up below to talk with one of our advisors about how these programs could benefit your operation.