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Author(s): |
Christopher Anderson and Diane Mayerfeld |
Wisconsin is seeing a renewed interest in planting cover crops to prevent soil erosion, retain or add nutrients, reduce pest pressures, and improve soil tilth. Farmers and educators are asking questions about which cover crops to plant, how to fit them into different cropping systems, and what equipment is needed to plant and manage them. This case study presents the experience of a Wisconsin vegetable farmer who has been growing cover crops for more than ten years. Paul Ehrhardt describes what benefits he receives from growing cover crops, explains his philosophy of cover crop use, and tells what cover crop strategies have worked on the organic farm where he raises vegetables, fruit, and pastured poultry (4 pages, November 2011).