Broadcast seeds do not have good seed-soil contact, which reduces the seed’s ability to take up water necessary for germination. Stand counts of broadcast cover crops are often lower than those of drilled cover crops. Could increasing the seeding rate overcome low stand counts and improve cover crop productivity?

While planting cover crops after harvest with a drill or planter may be the most convenient, there are several other planting methods that can increase cover crop success as measured by biomass production.