Cover crops and soil health are intricately connected. Many benefits and potential tradeoffs should be considered when making decisions on cover crop management and termination timing, and they are largely driven by uncontrollable environmental conditions. Regardless, termination timing should be based on the grower’s most dominant goal or problem. Cover crops should be used as a tool to reach a goal or solve a problem—not as a silver bullet. Although the benefits are obvious (reduced erosion, improved weed control, increased water infiltration and organic matter, etc.), there are no cookie-cutter recommendations for all on-farm situations.
