By Jamie Martin
More than 650 U.S. farm advisors participated in a 2024 survey led by CTIC, SARE, and ASTA to understand how they influence cover crop use. It marks the first advisor-focused report since the survey’s inception in 2012.
"Advisors play a key role in informing farmers about cover crops and providing technical assistance to help them succeed with covers," said Rob Myers, director of the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative and regional director of extension programs for North Central Region SARE. "Understanding their attitudes toward cover crops, how they get their information, and how they perceive cover crop benefits will help guide efforts to support those advisors."
A key finding showed that advisors who use cover crops themselves are five times more likely to recommend them. About 70% of advisors who farm also practice cover cropping, significantly impacting client adoption rates.
For example, 22.3% of these advisors reported that 25–50% of their clients also used cover crops, compared to just 9.1% among those who don’t use them personally.
Advisors rely on various information sources. Those who learned through job experience preferred training sessions (63.9%), webinars (57.4%), farmer conversations (58.3%), and field trials (30.6%).
Expectations for the future remain positive. Nearly 57% of advisors believe cover crop acreage will continue to rise. Many also see an increase in the use of seed mixes and integrating cover crops with other soil health methods.
Conducted online in October 2024, the survey included certified crop advisors and other professionals from both public and private sectors. The full report is available on the CTIC website.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-eugenesergeev
Categories: National