Rising Fertilizer Costs Drive Interest in Cover Crops

By Blake Jackson

Rising input costs, particularly fertilizers, are pushing farmers to revisit proven practices that support both profitability and sustainability. Among these, cover crops are gaining renewed attention as a practical way to improve soil health, conserve moisture, and reduce overall expenses during challenging growing seasons.

Before synthetic fertilizers became widely used, farmers relied on natural methods such as “green manure” or “winter cover” to maintain productive soils. Today, these same practices are helping producers manage costs while protecting their land.

Cover crops can reduce erosion, improve nutrient cycling, and limit the need for chemical inputs, offering both economic and environmental benefits.

Chris Pierce, a farmer in Pulaski County, has experienced these advantages firsthand. Initially, he adopted cover crops to address moisture concerns following the severe 2012 drought.

“I had wheat in 1995, my first year, but in getting into a more diversified winter crop system, we started that after the fall of 2012,” Pierce said. “And the main driving interest in it was moisture retention, because everybody remembers the drought of 2012.”

Over time, Pierce expanded to more than 300 acres of multi-species cover crops, including wheat, rye, vetch, crimson clover, and radish. “In what I call the lean teen years from 2013 to 2020, we were very range-bound on our commodity prices, but through that period we grew our farming operation by 40 percent,” Pierce said.

“We started picking up, through our soil testing, how stable fertility levels were because we were cycling nutrients better by keeping living roots in the soil year-round. We were lowering our fertilizer and herbicide costs, and in lowering our cost structure, it helped us to thrive through a very lean period.”

Pierce also noted unexpected benefits. “That was not one of my original goals, but it was an additional benefit that we sure appreciated and were able to build and franchise across our farm operation,” he said.

Pierce encourages farmers to explore cost-saving technologies as well. “If you're looking for ways to manage costs on the farm starting today, maybe look at improved efficiency in technology, such as better seed placement and potentially having better seed efficiency,” Pierce said.

Despite weather challenges, Pierce remains optimistic. “We're excited about yield potential with our wheat and rapeseed crops, and I'm looking forward to a more normal spring, I hope,” he said.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-eugenesergeev