The Social Factors Influencing Cover Crop Adoption in the Midwest: A Controlled Comparison

Abstract

Increased funding and resources have become available in recent years for agricultural producers to plant cover crops to improve soil health and prevent nutrient loss and erosion; however, cover crop adoption remains relatively low and has been uneven across different Midwestern counties. This study employed a controlled comparison method to investigate the social factors affecting cover crop adoption in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. In each state, the authors compared pairs of neighboring counties, where one county was a relatively higher adopter and the other was a lower adopter of cover crops, while controlling for variations in climate conditions. Results show that there were multiple factors explaining the difference in cover crop adoption among county pairs. Social factors included attitudes toward cover crops; conservation agency influence; presence of cover crop experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs; and collaboration between agencies and the private sector. Other important factors included topography, cattle raising, organic production, and local incentive-based programs. Among these, collaborations between agencies and the private sector played the most important role in explaining why some counties had higher rates of cover crop adoption compared to their neighbors.

Appendix: Detailed County Comparisons

Iowa

Clarke County Vs. Adair & Union Counties

Factors	Clarke (higher adopter)	Adair (lower adopter)	Union (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties	- Coordination between agencies to allocate additional funds toward CCs - Agency staff follows up with farmers that participate in CC programs to see if CCs worked. They ask them what worked, what didn’t, and offer to connect them to another producer that had success with CCs. - Some agency staff is part of a soil health team in Southwest Iowa.		- Agency staff speaks about soil health to local college
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- There is a local seed dealer that promotes and provides advice for CCs.	- A local crop advisor promotes CCs. - There are local producers who use CCs and they are the go-to persons for questions. - At least one local producer actively encourages others to adopt CCs.	- A local producer holds field days on his farm. - This producer is the go-to person and answers questions about CCs.
Favorable attitude toward CCs	- CC adoption is part of a culture of entrepreneurship. There are some local CC entrepreneurs (producers and/or crop advisors) that experiment with CCs to see how they can be profitable and increase revenue. This information is communicated with other producers and to agency personnel (SWCD, NRCS). - Producers interested in CCs seek information on YouTube and share videos with each other. There is a small network of producers trying new practices and experimenting with CCs that regularly consult with each other and exchange experiences.
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- Agency staff and CC entrepreneurs coordinate field days together. - A local CC entrepreneur shares videos of his work with NRCS staff. - CC entrepreneurs and NRCS staff have discussions and brainstorming sessions. - NRCS staff networks with CC entrepreneurs in order to reach more producers.
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	Topography was reported to be flat across all three counties. Differences in CC adoption were not attributed to strong topographical differences.
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	- There are smaller-scale producers in Clarke County compared to Adair and Union Counties There is more livestock in Clarke County than in Adair and Union Counties

Sioux County vs. O’Brien County

Factors	Sioux (higher adopter)	O’Brien (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties (entrepreneurial staff)	- Agency employees keep track of new CC adopters and follow up with them regularly to increase their likelihood of success. - New CC adopters receive technical notes with information about CCs from agency staff, including recommended rates and seeding dates.
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- A local producer has set up a CC side business. He sells CC seeds and provides services (drill, aerial application, advice). His priority is to make sure that first-time CC adopters have success with it.	- Local crop advisor is promoting CCs among farmers
Favorable attitude toward CCs	Interviewees mentioned Sioux producers have an entrepreneurial mindset. In the rural sector, producers are more willing to take risks and experiment with CCs.
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- The local producer with the CC business and the agency staff have developed a shared goal of making sure new adopters have a first good year. Both parties communicate regularly and exchange notes and lessons learned. - There is collaboration between producers and crop advisors promoting CCs and agency personnel for field day coordination. Both parties actively help organize the event.	(There is the beginning of a collaboration between IA Soybean Association and NRCS, but it is very new as it only started in 2020. So it has not had a chance to develop fully.)
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	Sioux County has more rolling hills than O’Brien County, resulting in more highly erodible areas
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	- Interviewees mentioned that Sioux has more small-scale family farms compared to O’Brien. Sioux has more cattle than O’Brien, and more silage acres.

Illinois

White County vs. Wayne & Hamilton Counties

Factors	White (higher adopter)	Wayne (lower adopter)	Hamilton (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties (entrepreneurial staff)	- SWCD in White County has two longstanding employees promoting CCs. They are very skilled at writing grants and have obtained funding for 2 salaries. - Agency staff engage in early promotion of CC programs. They advertise in the newspaper and on the radio.	- SWCD staff have obtained TNC funding to host CC coffee shops. Staff host a breakfast and they invite a mix of producers, some of which grow CCs and others that do not. This is a joint effort led by Edwards and Wayne Counties that started around 2017.
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- A local producer is a CC champion, actively promoting them with other farmers. - In addition, there are other local well-known producers that grow CCs, but do not necessarily actively promote them. These producers consistently experiment with different CC blends and they are go-to people for CC-related advice.	- Interviewees mentioned the presence of one local producer that is a CC specialist.	- There are local well-known producers that grow CCs, but do not necessarily actively promote them. These producers consistently experiment with different CC blends and they are go-to people for CC-related advice.
Favorable attitude toward CCs	Interviewees mentioned that producers in White County generally have a favorable attitude toward CCs.	Interviewees mentioned that producers in Wayne County generally have a favorable attitude toward CCs.	Interviewees mentioned that producers in Hamilton County generally have a favorable attitude toward CCs.
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- The CC champion mentioned above is often invited by agencies to be a speaker at various field days and events. - Other well-known CC adopters have also been invited as speakers during field days. - Agency personnel connect producers to the well-known farmers that use CCs when producers have questions that agency staff cannot answer.		- A well-known CC adopter participates in field days organized by agencies.
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	White County has more rolling hills than Wayne and Hamilton.	(In contrast, Wayne County has more floodplains and wider floodplains too.)	(Likewise, Hamilton County is flatter, with several skillet-fork river bottoms.)
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	Interviewees did not report a significant difference in soil type between the two counties.

Edwards County vs. Wabash County

Factors	Edwards (higher adopter)	Wabash (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties (entrepreneurial staff)	- SWCD staff have obtained TNC funding to host CC coffee shops. Staff host a breakfast and they invite a mix of producers, some of which grow CCs and others that do not. This is a joint effort led by Edwards and Wayne Counties that started around 2017.
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- A local, well-respected producer promotes CCs in Edwards County. He plays a huge leadership role as a CC champion. He pushes producers to adopt CCs and provides advice and input to help them. - There are also other well-known farmers that plant CCs on their own, but they don’t necessarily promote them. - There are some crop advisors that feel comfortable advising producers about CCs. Producer interviewees mentioned getting much of their CC-related information from their crop advisor. Soil testing is also heavily promoted.	- Wabash County also has some well-known local producers that grow CCs but they do not necessarily promote them. - Likewise, there are some crop advisors that feel comfortable advising producers about CCs. Producer interviewees mentioned getting much of their CC-related information from their crop advisor.
Favorable attitude toward CCs	Interviewees mentioned that producers in Edwards are more likely to have a favorable attitude toward CCs and they are more open to growing them.
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- The CC champion mentioned above is often invited by agencies to be a speaker at various field days and events. - Producers that are on the board of the Farm Bureau ask agencies to provide specialized information on CCs. They make requests for CC-related speakers, workshops, information on which CC to plant, impacts on soil health, etc.
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	- Edwards County has more rolling hills and poorer soils quality than Wabash. CCs help keep the topsoil in place.	(In contrast, Wabash has a more diverse landscape, including river bottoms that are not conducive to CC growth.)
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	- Edwards County has smaller-scale farms than Wabash County. - Historically, up until about 15 years ago, Edwards County had more cattle. Cattle farmers were using CCs to maintain soil health and use CCs, and this practice has lived on.

Indiana

Lawrence County vs. Greene County

Factors	Lawrence (higher adopter)	Greene (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties (entrepreneurial staff)	- Agency personnel engage in early promotion of CCs. - They maintain a demonstrational plot where CCs are planted for producers to see. - Staff also systematically reach out to new producers that have not used CCs previously. These new producers are targeted first through early promotion. Then, they are offered based on a first come, first served basis. - CCs are not only promoted among crop farmers but also with other landowners: those that graze cattle (CC serve as extra forage over the summer and fall months); deer hunters, and landowners interested in providing pollinator habitat. - Staff also reach out to female and non-operating landowners to promote CCs. Staff said this is in response to data showing that over 51% of land in Indiana is owned by women, and the increasing occurrence of absentee landowners. In particular, absentee landowners are invited to meetings, where the benefits of CCs are discussed.	- Agency personnel see their role as that of a salesperson when it comes to CCs and are constantly coming up with new ways of promoting them. - They engage in early promotion: when CC grants start they advertise on many platforms (radio, papers, field days).
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- There are local crop advisors that provide CC-related advice to farmers on a regular basis. CCs are part of the local business practice. - There are local well-known local producers that adopt CCs and they are go-to people that provide advice to other farmers.
Favorable attitude toward CCs	- Local producers seem to be highly concerned about environmental sustainability and minimizing the negative effects of farming (nutrient runoff, chemicals, manure biosolids, etc.). - There are close-knit families in Lawrence County, who had switched to no-till farming in the 70s. This no-till culture has been passed down to younger producers, who have remained in the county instead of moving away. Interviewees mentioned being ashamed to plow their land and facing social pressure to be environmentally sustainable. They said that these producers are also more likely to use CCs. Interviewees mentioned the desire to self-regulate when it comes to environmental sustainability as opposed to having regulations imposed from outside. Specifically, there is a desire to engage in sustainable farming practices (such as using CCs) that are locally driven, in order to avoid central government control. In other words, there is a desire to manage the negative effects of farming locally to avoid future environmental regulations imposed from the outside. Interviewees said they want to rely on science and their local knowledge to set the tone for what environmental sustainability should look like in Lawrence.	(There seems to be a general distrust of CCs and CC programs among producers)
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- The well-known producers that plant CCs and the agency personnel share a similar vision regarding environmental self-regulation. - There is collaboration and a good working relationship between crop advisors and agency staff (NRCS and SWCD). Their CC-related advice and promotion is supported by agencies, though the form of guideline and informational provided to farmers. According to crop advisors, this sets the stage and makes their work easier. - In addition, there is collaboration between CCA and extension personnel, which is not as common in other counties, where collaborations are usually limited to NRCS and SWCD. Specifically, the extension agent regularly phones crop advisors to ask their input on particular CC mixes and prices. Both parties communicate often and they reported having an excellent partnership. - Interviewees said there is open communication between agencies (NRCS, SWCD, Extension), crop advisors, and well-known CC adopting farmers. They regularly pick up the phone and discuss CC-related issues. For example, they consult with each other regarding spec sheets for different CCs and different rates, to see what will work best with growers. - A local CC adopting farmer is on the SWCD board all allows part of his field to be used for CC testing. - A crop advisor from a local coop actively participates in field days and his company co-sponsors events.
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	Soils in Lawrence County are more prone to erosion than in Greene. For this reason, it is easier for farmers in Lawrence to see a clear benefit from CCs due to their soil type.
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	- Interviewees said there are more small-scale family farms in Lawrence County than in Greene County. In addition, there are more operating landowners in Lawrence. Compared to other counties, Lawrence is known for being a tight-knit community with old families that work the land themselves.

Jackson County vs. Bartholomew County

Factors	Jackson (higher adopter)	Bartholomew (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties (entrepreneurial staff)	- NRCS and SWCD employees collaborate to organize field days, where they promote CCs.	- University extension personnel helps farmers apply to SARE grants.
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- A local crop advisor is an advocate of CCs because they contribute to improved soil health, water quality, and return on investment on fertilizer.	- There are two or three well-respected local farmers that grow CCs.
Favorable attitude toward CCs	Interviewees did not report a significant difference in between the two counties.
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- Local crop advisor explained the benefits of CCs to SWCD board members. They got more funding for CCs as a result because they chose to allocate cost-share funds toward them. - This crop advisor is also available to advise other producers who would like to grow CCs.
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	Interviewees did not report a significant difference in soil type between the two counties.
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	Interviewees did not report a significant difference in between the two counties.

LaGrange County vs. Steuben County

Factors	LaGrange (higher adopter)	Steuben (lower adopter)
Agency employees (NRCS, SWCD, Farm Bureau, Extension, etc.) feel they are promoting CCs beyond their regular duties (entrepreneurial staff)		- There is an experienced administrative coordinator in charge of grant writing, who secures grants that can be used for CCs.
Presence of CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- One local entrepreneur has a full-time business selling CC programs to non-Amish producers. She helps them with the paperwork required for participating in CC programs offered by agencies such as NRCS. - There are also several local seed dealers sell CC seeds to producers (both Amish and non-Amish) and provide advice on CC selection and blends.
Favorable attitude toward CCs	- Planting CCs is a traditional practice for the Amish, a continuation of their farming style. In LaGrange County, CCs have become a mainstream practice. Including them in land management is associated with being a “good farmer.”	(In contrast, interviewees in Steuben mentioned that social and knowledge components of CCs are lacking. There is not a network of farmers that regularly exchange knowledge and discuss CC challenges and solutions.)
Collaboration between organizations (NRCS, SWCD, Extension, Farm Bureau, etc.) and CC experts, advocates, and/or entrepreneurs	- The entrepreneurs that sells CC programs to producers serves as an intermediary between farmers and agencies such as NRCS. Close to half of NRCS contracts were facilitated by her. - According to interviewees, she sells the programs to producers that NRCS would ordinarily not reach.
Topography (rolling hills and more erodible soil led to early adoption of CCs)	- LaGrange has sandier soil than Steuben.
Farm characteristics (organic produce, pastured livestock, smaller-scale farms, and/or more cattle)	X - There are over 300 certified organic farms owned by the. They use CCs to help stabilize nutrient sources and combat weeds. There is a larger Amish community in LaGrange, whose members practice rotational grazing. They are more likely to grow CCs in the fall as a feed source for some of their animals.