As featured in MPR News, the Star Tribune and Morning Ag Clips, the report found crops that provide year-round living cover could reduce nitrogen loss by 23% and soil erosion by 35% in Minnesota by 2050. Farmers who grow these harvestable cover crops would also be positioned to take advantage of emerging commercial markets, particularly in the biofuels space, with the report’s analysis projecting a 20% increase in on-farm profits over that same time period. 

“This is an opportunity to turn bare, unused cropland acres into powerful engines for a healthier environment and economy,” said Trevor Russell, water program director at Friends of the Mississippi River and a lead author on the report. “I call it a win-win.”

Produced by Ecotone Analytics, Friends of the Mississippi River and the Forever Green Partnership, the report offers a clear-eyed assessment of the continuous living cover cropping systems being developed by the University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative. Through a combination of literature reviews, subject matter expert interviews and scenario development, the project team (with support from more than 50 advisors) forecasted how many acres of each crop we could reasonably expect to see planted in Minnesota between now and 2050 — and from that, measured the resulting environmental and economic benefits.

These impacts are made possible through the presence of continuous living cover, explained the Forever Green Initiative’s Associate Director Mitch Hunter. That means live roots in the ground year-round to anchor the soil, while above, green growth covers the "big brown spot."

This coverage — a contrast to the short growing season of conventional summer crops, which are only in the soil a few months of the year — helps keep excess nutrients from escaping into ground and surface water. The crops themselves also provide a new source of revenue.

“We sometimes call these ‘cash cover crops’ because they can be harvested and sold,” Hunter said. “That gives them a significant advantage over conventional cover crops.”

This project was made possible with the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation and the Forever Green Partnership. Funding for this project was provided from the Clean Water Fund as part of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment.

Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment is a nonprofit that works to protect and enhance the Mississippi River and its watershed. Ecotone Analytics is an impact analysis consultancy that does benefit-cost, data and strategy analysis for clients’ social, economic and environmental impacts. The Forever Green Partnership is a multi-sector partnership working to to develop crops and markets that will increase continuous living cover.

Download the full report below or at this link.