Grainswest - Spring 2022

Spring 2022 Grains West 32 I n recent years, cover crops have been widely promoted as a regenerative practice that offers a range of benefits, both environmental and economical. Many western Canadian farmers are skeptical, though, citing short growing seasons, limited moisture and added costs as reasons they haven’t adopted the practice. Yet, policymakers and agri-businesses continue to push cover crops as a fundamental component of regenerative agriculture and overall farm sustainability. But is the adoption of cover crops a logical move for Prairie farmers? To better understand how cover crops are used on the Prairies, who is using them and why, University of Manitoba PhD student Callum Morrison, under the supervision of assistant professor of agronomy and cropping systems Yvonne Lawley, conducted the Prairie Cover Crop Survey, the results of which were published last October. The first objective of the survey was to gain an understanding of the extent of cover cropping on farms across the Prairies, and to then identify how cover crops are being used. Morrison wanted to understand why farmers adopt the practice, and whether or not they’d met their goals in doing so. Perhaps most importantly, though, he wanted to better understand the challenges farmers face when adopting cover crops to A question of coverage Are cover crops a good fit for the Prairies? BY MELANIE EPP LEAD PHOTO BY ZOLTAN VARADI