The Drop: September 2025

By Joe McClure

Cover Crops: A Case Study in Balancing Production and Conservation

A case in point is the long-term cover crop project we lead. Now in its ninth year, this work has produced field days, articles, presentations, podcasts, insight literature and a white paper, all designed to share the actual impact of cover crops and how to manage them effectively.

Too often, people with narrow goals sugarcoat the benefits of cover crops, drawing from the successes of a few outlier farms.

But what we’ve learned tells a fuller story.

For example, using cover crops such as cereal rye results in corn and soybean yields that are, on average, comparable to conventional crops grown without covers. Yet the variability in row-crop yield—and the risk to row-crop profitability—is greater when cover crops are in the mix because of factors such as biomass accumulation and termination timing.

Still, cereal rye does an exceptional job reducing nitrate loads, minimizing compaction and increasing water infiltration.

What do these seemingly contradictory insights mean? They mean that any conservation practice must be used thoughtfully and in harmony with the needs of the cash crop that’s keeping the farmer in business.

Ongoing Conversations Support Long-Term Operational Success

One of our key priorities now is keeping the conversation going, even when cover crops are far from most farmers’ minds. Our conservation agronomists are constantly creating opportunities for engagement—through our magazine, social media, podcasts, and one-on-one discussions.

The window between July and August is critical. This is when we need to help farmers plan and prepare for post-harvest activities. By September and October, the focus is harvest—not planning. If those cover crop decisions are made before the combine rolls, success is far more likely.

One of the key advantages of our work is that it is focused only on farmers. At RCFI, we don’t sell anything. That gives us the opportunity to deliver unbiased insights, identify challenges, recommend strategies and support farmers every step of the way. As more producers adopt both in-field and edge-of-field practices, Iowa can lead on conservation without giving up our position as one of the nation’s top producers of soybeans and corn.

We can deliver both, and we’re doing exactly that.

Technology makes this even more possible. Tools such as precision planting, early season fertilizer applications and root-zone placement are helping farmers fine-tune management. That’s key to minimizing any downsides of cover crops and enabling smarter, more efficient nutrient use.

Translation? Less front-loading. More spoon-feeding. Better results—for crops and water alike.

What We Owe to Iowa’s Farmer Leaders Stewarding Local Waterways

This kind of forward-looking, producer-centered approach is essential. Any conversation about Iowa’s water quality and any conservation effort that doesn’t include farmers is bound to fail or to result in regulation.

Farmers own most of the land in our watersheds. They have the best chance of impacting those landscapes. They also drink the water and recreate in the lakes and on the rivers. They have a vested interest in continuing to advance Iowa’s farm economy just as much or more than their predecessors.

Iowa leads the nation in row-crop production and conservation because our farmers are determined to lead. Our organizations must continue showing up to support them—and we need non-ag partners to join us in partnership, funding, or both.

Our industries, cities, and communities all depend on clean water.

And that water starts with the best farm families in the world.

Editor’s note: ISA is one of three Founding Partners of Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, which works to increase the pace and scale of farmer-led efforts to improve water quality in Iowa.