Cover crop grows on the rows where Corn stubble is left to stabilize the soil and return nutrients, at Deerfield Farm, in Deerfield, Massachusetts, on October 18, 2019. Deerfield Farm has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) to create their conservation plan that includes the use of Forage and biomass Planting (512) and Establish and reseed their cover crop during the cool season, on October 18, 2019. Working with Natural Resource Specialist / Business Tools Coordinator Lisa Gilbert who records the progress with the conservation plan. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Forage and Biomass Planting, Conservation Practice Code 512 - Forage and biomass planting is used to establish adapted and/or compatible species, varieties, or cultivars of herbaceous species suitable for pasture, hay, or biomass production. For more information, please see nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/enespanol/?cid=nrcs144p2_027163

Cover Crop, Conservation Practice Code 340 - Crops including grasses, legumes, and forbs for seasonal cover and other conservation purposes. For more information, please see nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1046845.pdf

NRCS has a proud history of supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 80 years, we have helped people make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat.

As the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, we generate, manage, and share the data, technology, and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science.

And through one-on-one, personalized advice, we work voluntarily with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals. By doing so, we help ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.

Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) is the Department’s focal point for the nation’s farmers and ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance services, conservation programs and technical assistance, and commodity, lending, and disaster programs.

The agencies and service supporting FPAC are Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

NRCS – NRCS - nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/

FPAC - Farm Production and Conservation - usda.gov/our-agency/about-usda/mission-areas

USDA - USDA.gov

Members of the community gathered at Todd Ballard's farm in Kimberly, Idaho for the Magic Valley Soil Health Field Day on June 29, 2022. (NRCS Photo by Carly Whitmore)

Sang Lee Farms Primary Manager Lucy Senesac talks to a member of the kitchen staff about their pickled jalapeños, in Peconic, New York, November 5, 2021.

Sang Lee Farms, transitioning to third generation, grows more than 100 varieties of specialty vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, baby greens, herbs. They continue to feature Asian produce, growing many varieties of Chinese cabbages, greens, and radishes.

The farm has been operating and growing on Long Island for over 70 years. During this time the farm has evolved and survived through economic fluctuations, family loss and growth, local changes in demographics and changes in the nature of farming on Long Island.

(FPAC photo by Preston Keres)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Monterey County Conservationist Robert LaFleur (right) pull a hand full of rye so farmer Tom Heess (left) of Leafy Greens Farm can check the health of the roots at this Salinas Valley farm in California on Thursday, June 16, 2011. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Brad Hunter plants corn into a stand of cover crop on his farm in Porter County, Indiana. 5/4/2023; photo donated to USDA by Jacob Tosch, Porter County SWCD.

Steve Fox plants field corn into a stand of cereal rye in Freedom, Indiana May 12, 2022. Fox farms 400 acres and planted about 200 of them in cover crops prior to the 2022 planting season. (NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

USDA-NRCS State Soil Scientist Shawn Nield gives a soil health presentation at the Magic Valley Soil Health Field Day in Kimberly, Idaho on June 29, 2022. (NRCS photo by Carly Whitmore)

John Bittner, a farmer in Evansville Indiana, uses a 30-foot roller crimper to terminate cover crops after his son Patrick Bittner planted corn directly into them on May 13, 2021. The Bittners are no-till farmers who planted a diverse 12 seed mix of cover crops in-between growing season. The cover crop mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Liz Camps, District Conservationist tours Sang Lee Farms, with owners Fred (left) and William Lee in Peconic, New York, November 5, 2021.

Sang Lees Farms, transitioning to third generation, grows more than 100 varieties of specialty vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, baby greens, herbs. They continue to feature Asian produce, growing many varieties of Chinese cabbages, greens, and radishes.

The farm has been operating and growing on Long Island for over 70 years. During this time the farm has evolved and survived through economic fluctuations, family loss and growth, local changes in demographics and changes in the nature of farming on Long Island.

(FPAC photo by Preston Keres)

Cover crops grow in a field in Evansville, Indiana prior to corn being planted. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. The field is farmed by Patrick and John Bitner who plant corn directly into the cover crops and then terminate them with a roller crimper. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

John Bittner, a farmer in Evansville Indiana, uses a 30-foot roller crimper to terminate cover crops after his son Patrick Bittner planted corn directly into them on May 13, 2021. The Bittners are no-till farmers who planted a diverse 12 seed mix of cover crops in-between growing season. The cover crop mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

USDA-NRCS State Soil Scientist Shawn Nield gives a soil health presentation at the Magic Valley Soil Health Field Day in Kimberly, Idaho on June 29, 2022. (NRCS photo by Carly Whitmore)

USDA-NRCS State Soil Scientist Shawn Nield gives a soil health presentation at the Magic Valley Soil Health Field Day in Kimberly, Idaho on June 29, 2022. (NRCS photo by Carly Whitmore)

This tractor and mower at Mota Ranch was made possible by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) incentives that help producers get rid of higher-polluting agricultural equipment and get equipment that emits lower emission, through the use of efficient clean technology, such as this new tractor and mower for this 36 acre almond orchard in Livingston, CA on Thursday, July 23, 2015. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Micro irrigation is used to water the Mota Ranch’s 36 acre almond orchard in Livingston, CA on Thursday, July 23, 2015. Owner Jesse Mota worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Merced Service Center Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos to create a conservation plan that included cover crops and micro-irrigation using micro sprinklers to spray water from a low height to water the trees’ root zones providing customized and efficient irrigation for each tree. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos holds a sample of phacelia, a drought-tolerant native plant at the Mota Ranch in Livingston, CA on Apr. 16, 2015 . Phacelia is one of five plant species of cover crop that includes yellow mustard, hairy vetch, annual buckwheat, and wheat plants. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline, and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Cover crop grows on the rows where Corn stubble is left to stabilize the soil and return nutrients, at Deerfield Farm, in Deerfield, Massachusetts, on October 18, 2019. Deerfield Farm has worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources and Conservation Service (NRCS) to create their conservation plan that includes the use of Forage and biomass Planting (512) and Establish and reseed their cover crop during the cool season, on October 18, 2019. Working with Natural Resource Specialist / Business Tools Coordinator Lisa Gilbert who records the progress with the conservation plan. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Forage and Biomass Planting, Conservation Practice Code 512 - Forage and biomass planting is used to establish adapted and/or compatible species, varieties, or cultivars of herbaceous species suitable for pasture, hay, or biomass production. For more information, please see nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/enespanol/?cid=nrcs144p2_027163

Cover Crop, Conservation Practice Code 340 - Crops including grasses, legumes, and forbs for seasonal cover and other conservation purposes. For more information, please see nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1046845.pdf

NRCS has a proud history of supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 80 years, we have helped people make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat.

As the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, we generate, manage, and share the data, technology, and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science.

And through one-on-one, personalized advice, we work voluntarily with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals. By doing so, we help ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.

Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) is the Department’s focal point for the nation’s farmers and ranchers and other stewards of private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest lands. FPAC agencies implement programs designed to mitigate the significant risks of farming through crop insurance services, conservation programs and technical assistance, and commodity, lending, and disaster programs.

The agencies and service supporting FPAC are Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Risk Management Agency (RMA).

NRCS – NRCS - nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/national/home/

FPAC - Farm Production and Conservation - usda.gov/our-agency/about-usda/mission-areas

USDA - USDA.gov

Chris Lee (left), Indiana NRCS tech team leader, Patrick Bittner, a farmer in Evansville Indiana, and Keith Williams, Indiana NRCS planning team leader, talk prior Bittner to planting corn on May 13, 2021. Bittner is a no-till farmer and directly plants his corn seed into his cover crops. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Patrick Bittner (left), a farmer in Evansville Indiana, talks with Keith Williams, Indiana NRCS planning team leader, prior to planting corn on May 13, 2021. Bittner is a no-till farmer and directly plants his corn seed into his cover crops. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

John Bittner, a farmer in Evansville Indiana, uses a 30-foot roller crimper to terminate cover crops after his son Patrick Bittner planted corn directly into them on May 13, 2021. The Bittners are no-till farmers who planted a diverse 12 seed mix of cover crops in-between growing season. The cover crop mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Sang Lee Farms, in Peconic, New York, transitioning to third generation, grows more than 100 varieties of specialty vegetables, heirloom tomatoes, baby greens, herbs. They continue to feature Asian produce, growing many varieties of Chinese cabbages, greens, and radishes.

The farm has been operating and growing on Long Island for over 70 years. During this time the farm has evolved and survived through economic fluctuations, family loss and growth, local changes in demographics and changes in the nature of farming on Long Island.

(FPAC photo by Preston Keres)

The Mota Ranch 36 acre almond orchard uses cover crops and micro irrigation in Livingston, CA, on Thursday, Apr. 16, 2015. Owner Jesse Mota worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Merced Service Center Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos to create a conservation plan for Mota Ranch. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Cover crops are aerially seeded over corn at Scully Family Farms in Spencer, Indiana Sept. 29, 2022. The cover crops mix includes cereal rye, crimson clover and rapeseed and was spread over 160 acres of no-till farmland that will be planted with soybeans in the spring. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Cover crops grow in a field in Evansville, Indiana prior to corn being planted on May 13, 2021. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. The field is farmed by Patrick and John Bitner who plant corn directly into the cover crops and then terminate them with a roller crimper. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos holds a sample of annual buckwheat at the Mota Ranch in Livingston, CA on Apr. 16, 2015. Annual buckwheat is one of five plant species of cover crop that includes yellow mustard, hairy vetch, phacelia, and wheat plants. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Cover crops are aerially seeded over corn at Scully Family Farms in Spencer, Indiana Sept. 29, 2022. The cover crops mix includes cereal rye, crimson clover and rapeseed and was spread over 160 acres of no-till farmland that will be planted with soybeans in the spring. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Almonds grow on the Mota Ranch 36 acre almond orchard using cover crop and micro irrigation in Livingston, CA on July 22, 2015. Owner Jesse Mota worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Merced Service Center Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos to create a conservation plan for Mota Ranch. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Cover crops are aerially seeded over corn at Scully Family Farms in Spencer, Indiana Sept. 29, 2022. The cover crops mix includes cereal rye, crimson clover and rapeseed and was spread over 160 acres of no-till farmland that will be planted with soybeans in the spring. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Cover crops grow in a field in Evansville, Indiana prior to corn being planted on May 13, 2021. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. The field is farmed by Patrick and John Bitner who plant corn directly into the cover crops and then terminate them with a roller crimper. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Monterey County Conservationist Robert LaFleur (right) pull a hand full of rye so farmer Tom Heess (left) of Leafy Greens Farm can check the health of the roots at this Salinas Valley farm in California on Thursday, June 16, 2011. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Cover crops and no-till farming are employed on an agricultural field at Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary in Upper Marlboro, Md., on Dec. 3, 2010. The techniques are known as best management practices, or BMPs. (Photo by Matt Rath/Chesapeake Bay Program)

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Laura Garber and Henry Wvenshche, Homestead Organics farm near Hamilton, Mont., worked with NRCS to plan and install a high tunnel to conserve water, keep nutrients in the soil and increase yields. Ravalli County, Montana. June 2017.

Chris Lee (left), Indiana NRCS tech team leader, and Keith Williams, Indiana NRCS planning team leader, talk on a farm in Evansville, Indiana May 13, 2021. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Cover crops grow in a field in Evansville, Indiana prior to corn being planted. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. The field is farmed by Patrick and John Bitner who plant corn directly into the cover crops and then terminate them with a roller crimper. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Cover crops grow in a field in Evansville, Indiana prior to corn being planted on May 13, 2021. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. The field is farmed by Patrick and John Bitner who plant corn directly into the cover crops and then terminate them with a roller crimper. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Fish Lane, Burscough, East Lancashire, North West England.

15/01/2020

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos holds a sample of annual buckwheat at the Mota Ranch in Livingston, CA on Apr. 16, 2015. Annual buckwheat is one of five plant species of cover crop that includes yellow mustard, hairy vetch, phacelia, and wheat plants. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Patrick Bittner, a farmer in Evansville Indiana, plants corn directly into his cover crops on May 13, 2021. Bittner is a no-till farmer and he terminates the cover crops with a roller crimper after planting. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Cover crops grow in a field in Evansville, Indiana prior to corn being planted on May 13, 2021. The cover crops are made of a diverse 12 seed mix including Cereal rye, triticale, annual rye, rape, black oats, Balansa Fixation clover, Kentucky Pride Crimson, Hairy Vetch, Australian winter peas, Red clover, turnips and winter barley. The field is farmed by Patrick and John Bitner who plant corn directly into the cover crops and then terminate them with a roller crimper. (Indiana NRCS photos by Brandon O’Connor)

Cereal rye cover crops on Steve Berger farm in Washington County. Berger is planting green; no-till drilling soybeans into standing cereal rye. The rye will be terminated and will decompose as the soybeans grow.

Please Credit: NRCS/SWCS photo by Lynn Betts

Almonds grow on the Mota Ranch 36 acre almond orchard using cover crop and micro irrigation in Livingston, CA on July 22, 2015. Owner Jesse Mota worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Merced Service Center Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos to create a conservation plan for Mota Ranch. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Brad Hunter plants corn into a stand of cover crop on his farm in Porter County, Indiana. 5/4/2023; photo donated to USDA by Jacob Tosch, Porter County SWCD.

The Mota Ranch 36 acre almond orchard uses cover crops and micro irrigation in Livingston, CA, on Thursday, Apr. 16, 2015 Owner Jesse Mota worked with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Merced Service Center Soil Conservationist Tomas Aguilar-Campos to create a conservation plan for Mota Ranch. California currently faces three looming challenges in agriculture: drought conditions, bee decline and protecting soil health. Planting cover crops helps overcome all three issues by helping to trap moisture in the soil, improve soil organic matter, and attracting pollinators. USDA photo by Lance Cheung.

Micro irrigation begins with an economical reuse of irrigation water hydrants at Leafy Greens Farm in the Salinas Valley of California on Thursday, June 16, 2011. A series of reduction couplings lead to the collapsible header tube that supply water to dozens of separate tubes. That take water to every plant in the row. Water evaporation is kept to a minimum because water is delivered to the soil, not sprayed into the air or to exposed areas. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Conservation tillage practices like no-till allow farmers to plant cash crop seeds with little disturbance to the soil, which protects the habitat for billions of the soil’s microorganisms. USDA NRCS photo.

Cover crops are aerially seeded over corn at Scully Family Farms in Spencer, Indiana Sept. 29, 2022. The cover crops mix includes cereal rye, crimson clover and rapeseed and was spread over 160 acres of no-till farmland that will be planted with soybeans in the spring. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Sang Lee Farms, in Peconic, New York, transitioning to third generation, grows more than 100 varieties of specialty vegetables, including carrots (pictured), heirloom tomatoes, baby greens, herbs. They continue to feature Asian produce, growing many varieties of Chinese cabbages, greens, and radishes.

The farm has been operating and growing on Long Island for over 70 years. During this time the farm has evolved and survived through economic fluctuations, family loss and growth, local changes in demographics and changes in the nature of farming on Long Island.

(FPAC photo by Preston Keres)