As growers in numerous areas of the country tackle serious drought concerns, it’s a good time to look at the water-saving benefits to be gained with cover crops. But while no one wants to have to deal with drought, no-tillers are definitely in better shape than neighbors who do intensive tillage.

A new report from the University of California-Davis describes how cover crops hold great potential for stretching available water use by 40% due to their improved water-holding capacity, more effective infiltration and reduced soil runoff. 

More Water, More Roots

Combining cover crops with no-till can increase the amount of soil organic matter by improving soil structure, which allows more water to be stored that can be accessed by growing plant roots throughout the year.

But there’s also some depressing news in the California report as the authors point out how available water is being wasted as farmers use 40% of the state’s total water while a dismal 5% of their farm ground is seeded to cover crops. That’s sad as the report suggests seeding cover crops can store an extra 1.2 inches per acre of expensive water over the winter compared to leaving bare ground.

What’s an extra inch of water worth? USDA studies in the northern Great Plains suggest fall tillage will lead to a loss of 1 inch of water. This can result in a loss of 3 bushels per acre of wheat the following year compared to incorporating crop residue. Leaving standing no-till stubble can mean storing an additional 3 inches more water over the fall and winter months, which can lead to harvesting an extra 15 bushels per acre of wheat the following summer. 

Organic Matter Counts

“For every 1% increase in soil organic matter, you can hold another 20,000-25,000 gallons of water per acre," says Benina Montes, a Merced County, Calif., grower. “By having the ground covered, we’re getting much better water penetration,” she says. She’s also seen how cover crops can drop mid-summer soil temperatures by 20-40 degrees while increasing soil diversity and crop nutrition.

Losing an inch per acre of water to drought or intensive tillage means losing $25-$30 per acre in reduced yields. While these unnecessary losses are especially critical in areas with limited rainfall or drought areas you can see why no-tillers seeding cover crops are capitalizing on every drop of valuable moisture.

This Frankly Speaking column originally appears in the October 2025 issue of No-Till Farmer.