Feed Your Animals & Soil at the Same Time! Checking in on Cover Crops

Cover crops get a lot of hype when it comes to the vegetable garden. But they’re just as important (if not more so) in animal grazing spaces. My pastures are no longer seeded with straight grass—instead I use a mix of hand-selected cover crops.

I researched cover crops that meet the nutritional needs of my animal species while giving back to the soil. Cover crops not only create organic matter and improve soil, they also can attract beneficial insects, suppress weeds, bring up plant available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to plant roots, improve soil compaction, and more.

My book, The Sustainable Homestead, has lots of info on cover crops and pasture management. The Rodale Institute is an incredible resource for finding suitable forage crops for your exact species and soil goals.