Watch Lady snack on several different plants as she grazes her way through a patch of cover crops that includes 14 different plants, including legumes, grasses, brassicas and broadleaves, giving us a cow’s-eye view of cover crop grazing. Find out, literally from the cow’s mouth, how cows feel about cover crops by viewing this video.
According to an online Progressive Cattleman poll, over half of the participants grazed cover crops. Cover crops provide several different benefits for the enterprising producer. They offer a little extra fall grazing or a good solution to summer slump grazing, giving cattlemen a few good options for their herd.
Grazing isn’t the only thing cover crops are good for. According to the NRCS video, cover crops also help build soil health, stop erosion and retain soil moisture. All of these elements help keep the soil strong and in top condition for crops or to provide forage for cattle. “In a cropping system with summer-annual crops like corn or soybeans, planting a cover crop during the off-season is critical to providing a living root food source for the soil organisms,” according to our article “Grazing management for a healthy soil.”
As with most crops, the variety of cover crop that will do well tends to vary by climate and by growing season. Planning when the cover crop will become necessary (summer slump or fall forage) and planting varieties accordingly is a sure step towards cover crop success. For different options for cover crops, view our article “Reducing fall and winter feed costs through grazing.” 
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Carrie Veselka
- Staff Writer
- Progressive Cattleman
- Email Carrie Veselka
PHOTO: Screenshot taken from NRCS Oklahoma’s “Cover Crop Cow” video.
