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Cover crops help meet consumer demand

An Illinois farmer says one reason he plants cover crops is to help meet consumer demand.

“The consumer wants sustainability in farming and as a result many supply chain firms are developing sustainability plans and asking farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices.”

Joe Rothermel of Champaign County was a speaker during a Conservation Cropping Seminar Wednesday where he also credited cover crops for increasing water quality, preventing soil erosion, and increasing the capacity of the soil to function indefinitely on his farm.

Rothermel says he uses the Illinois S.T.A.R. Program, or Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources, (also available in some counties in Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri) to help motivate himself and others to increase conservation on their farms.

“If you are going to go down this road of regenerative ag or soil health, you really need some motivation or inspiration because it is a long term process and you might not see a lot of changes up front so you need something to motivate you.”

Circling back to consumer demand, Rothermel says company’s like Kellogg’s have partnered with S.T.A.R. to reward farmers by putting the face of annual winners on a Frosted Flakes box.