Production Blog: Cover Crop Survey Open

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (DTN) -- Do you have 15 minutes? We all know they could save you 15% or more on car insurance, but they could also help paint a picture of cover crops in the United States.

Whether you currently plant them, gave them a shot for a few years and then quit, or maybe never tried them, your thoughts and perceptions are being sought for the 2025-2026 National Cover Crop Survey.

This marks the eighth time since 2012 and the first time since 2023 that U.S. farmers are being surveyed by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC), the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE) and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA).

The new survey, which is taking responses until March 31, can be found here: https://missouri.qualtrics.com/….

"We're equally interested in not only hearing from farmers who actively use cover crops, but also from those who no longer use them and who have never planted them at all," said Ryan Heiniger, CTIC executive director and a fourth-generation Iowa farmer who uses cover crops. "This year, we've added more questions about grazing livestock on cover crops to explore return on investment and the practice's potential as a contributing solution to help rebuild the nation's cattle herds."

According to Rob Myers, a University of Missouri professor and regional director of the North Central Region SARE program, this is the ninth survey of cover crops in the series, which also includes a survey of agricultural advisers conducted in October 2024 and released last March. Data collected through these surveys has a powerful influence throughout agriculture, he said. For example, data from previous surveys informed SARE's report "Cover Crop Economics," which addresses how and when cover crops improve profitability.

"The National Cover Crop Survey is a tool that helps policy makers, agribusiness, commodity organizations, cover crop advocates, farmers and others understand how farmers think about cover crops and make decisions around adopting the practice," said Myers in a press release announcing the new survey. "Previous surveys have been used in Congressional testimony, cited in academic research and used by educators to help farmers succeed with cover crops."

The anonymous survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Farmers who complete the survey can enter a drawing to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards.

Andy LaVigne, president and CEO of ASTA, added that the cover crop surveys help seed companies predict market demand for cover crop seed and spot trends in the use of various cover crop species. That helps seed growers supply the steadily evolving market for cover crop seed.

"Understanding the demand and opportunities in the field helps seed companies keep in step with the market," he noted. "Over the years, we have seen new species and varieties of cover crops come into the market, and we have identified trends in how farmers have used various cover crops to achieve a wide range of benefits."

Reports from previous surveys can be found here: https://www.sare.org/…

The 2025-2026 National Cover Crop Survey is open until March 31.

https://missouri.qualtrics.com/…

Jason Jenkins can be reached at jason.jenkins@dtn.com

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