Soybean Cover Crop Trial

In 2017, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crops and Soils Program investigated the impact of various cover crop mixtures on a subsequent soybean crop’s yield and quality at Borderview Research Farm in Alburgh, VT. Soybeans are grown for human consumption, animal feed, and biodiesel and can be a useful rotational crop in corn silage and grass production systems. As cover cropping expands throughout Vermont, it is important to understand the potential benefits, consequences, and risks associated with growing cover crops in various cropping systems. In an effort to support the local soybean market and to gain a better understanding of cover cropping in soybean production systems, the University of Vermont Extension Northwest Crop and Soils (NWCS) Program, as part of a grant from the Eastern Soybean Board, established a trial in 2017 to investigate the impacts on soybean yield and quality of following annual cover crop mixtures with a soybean crop