Cover Crops

Informational pdfs and links at the bottom of this page (Cover crops, 4R information, prevented planting, manure/nutrient information)

The Wayne Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offers a Cover Crop Program that is funded through the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD). Through this program, MWCD offers reimbursement for approved fields you apply for with a cap of 200 acres per applicant across eligible counties in the jurisdictional boundary of the MWCD District.

2025 Cover Crop Program Information

SHARING! Check out this great website for OHIO COVER CROPS info by OSU/CFAES- listing 23 fact sheets on cover crops at https://cfaes.osu.edu/features/ohio-cover-crops

Click the links below to see details for the 2025 Cover Crop Program

2025 Cover Crop Application Seed Sample Testing Direction NRCS Cover Crop Seeding Table

Check out the video below of aerial seeding of cover crops by the Holmes SWCD at the Holmes County Airport in 2013

Filmed by the Wayne SWCD

- Aerial Seeding of Cover Crops

Aerial view of patchwork farmland and fields with a lake in the distance, visible under a plane's wing.

Map of the Muskingum River Watershed in Ohio, showing dams, lakes, highways, and county boundaries with elevation details.

Ashland SWCD has an interseeder that would be available for anyone to rent for cover crops. Visit their website at https://www.ashlandswcd.com/rental to see the complete list of equipment and contracts online! Please see the pdf below for more details.

Cover Crop Interseeder

Close-up of a lush green wheat field with a clear sky at sunset.

Why use cover crops?

Cover crops “reduce soil erosion, reduce nutrient leaching, store carbon, improve soil structure, increase water infiltration, reduce compaction, suppress weeds, enhance wildlife, fix nitrogen and serve as a forage product.”

(Rafiq Islam, Ohio State University Extension soil scientist)