It's a concept that is growing in popularity within the Agriculture industry in western and central North Dakota

It molds farming practices with ranching and providing a healthy benefit for both farm fields and livestock herds.

(Bruce Knudson, Farms Near Bottineau) "Two years ago we started growing cover crops. Which is a crop that you seed after you take your regular grain crop off. The cover crop is used basically for cattle grazing in the fall and into the winter."

Bruce Knudson Farms and Ranches in Bottineau County

He says the first year he used cover crops on his harvested fields, benefits were noticable on both ends of his business.

(Bruce Knudson, Farms Near Bottineau) "We grazed cattle out here well into December last year and the cattle came off in real good condition. Those acres that we grazed last year in cover crop where the cover crop was growing we also saw an increase in yield this year 10 -15 bushels an acre."


Gabe Brown farms and ranches in Burleigh County in Central North Dakota and has been utizilzing cover crops since the mid 1990's

Brown says they initially started the program to improve soil health but found that the benefits spread well beyond the nutrition line.

(Gabe Brown, Rancher and Burleigh County Soil Conservation District Supervisor) "We've been able to cut back our commercial fertilizer inputs by over 90 percent and our commerical herbicies by over 75%. At the same time our yields have increase dramatically and we've obviously seen our costs decrease so our profitability has increase su

For Brown and Knudtson the cost of putting in cover crops is kept at about $6 to $10 dollars and acre and many producers simply use carry over seed.

(Bruce Knudson, Farms Near Bottineau) "We have corn, oats, buckwheat, we have some turnips, radish and some sweet clover in there."


Knudson says the use of legumes will also put nitrigen back into the soil, one heavy costs for farmers today.

On the livestock side Knudson says the cover crop helps cut hay costs and provides good nutrition heading into the coldest winter months.

(Bruce Knudson, Farms Near Bottineau) "We won't have to start feeding our cattle until well into December with the use of cover crops and it's a very nutrition feed too."


(Gabe Brown, Rancher and Burleigh County Soil Conservation District Supervisor) "You're also benefiting that cropland from the deposition of fecal material ectetra on the cropland. So it's a win win situation." While this year is one of those years where the cover crop program was a little more difficult to utilize because of a late spring planting, Knudson says the acres that were too wet to plant early on, he used a cover crop

He says that cut down the need for herbicides to keep weeds down, at the same time was building soil health and growing feed for his cattle herd.

In Bottineau County with Your Eye On Agriculture, Shaun Sipma KX News. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list