The Growing Business of Cover Crops

• Trisha White
• Aug 12, 2014

The Great Recession of 2008 devastated America’s economy; hundreds of banks failed, entire industries fell into bankruptcy and the stock market plummeted. While recovery is well underway, Rural America continues to struggle.

America’s rural economy faces many unique challenges:

• Increased productivity in the agriculture sector leads to decreased employment
• High poverty, low income
• Declining population
• Shrinking labor force (able bodied, between ages 20-64)
• Smaller educated population
• Limited access to health care

The Growing Business of Cover Crops hopes to inform and inspire Rural America about the burgeoning growth in the use of cover crops: non-commodity crops used to protect soil and nutrients. Farmers are making the shift to cover crops rapidly, creating gaps of opportunity for the rural entrepreneur to build new small businesses.

In doing so, they will not only make a living to support their families, they will improve their local economies through job creation and provide much needed services to farmers. Moreover, they are becoming part of the movement in today’s agriculture, shifting from conventional practices to sustainable, healthy and future-friendly farming.