Abstract
Cover crops are becoming more accepted as a viable best management practice because of their ability to provide important environmental and soil health benefits. Because of these benefits, many land managers are strongly encouraging the use of cover crops. Additionally, there is limited information on farmers′ perceptions of the benefits and challenges of implementing cover crops. Many farmers state that they do not have enough money or time to implement cover crops. In an attempt to gather more data about the adoption rate and perceptions of cover crops in South Carolina, a survey was sent to 3000 row crop farmers across the state. Farmers were asked whether they implement cover crops and their perceptions of the benefits and challenges associated with implementation. Furthermore, questions were asked regarding the impact of row cropping on their environment to gauge farmer′s education level on environmental impacts. Responses showed many people are implementing cover crops; however, there are still differences in perceptions about benefits and challenges between those who are adopting cover crops and those who are not. This research assesses these differences and aims to provide a baseline for focusing cover crop programs to tackle these certain challenges and promote the benefits.
Highlights
Soil erosion is a major issue in the agriculture sector of the United States, and was determined to be a serious crisis in the 1970s and onward [1]
The analysis indicates that those with a higher income were more likely to implement cover crops
Almost half of respondents (49.1%) indicated that they currently use or have used cover crops on their farmland. While this number of survey respondents who utilize cover crops is potentially indicative of a large number of CC users, the U.S Census agriculture survey that was distributed in 2017 shows that cover crop implementation comprises only 6% of agriculture lands in
Summary
Soil erosion is a major issue in the agriculture sector of the United States, and was determined to be a serious crisis in the 1970s and onward [1]. South Carolina, has been especially affected by soil degradation from early agriculture operations, where forestlands are converted to agriculture, and the land is subject to significant erosion [2]. Soil quality decreases by limiting microbial activity that is important for healthy and robust agriculture [3]. Cover crops are one effective option for a reduction in soil erosion; they are known by both researchers and stakeholders to be an effective form of environmental management in agriculture systems [4,5]
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