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ANNUAL COVER CROP SPECIES
Scroll below for our ever expanding list of cover crop species from Brassicas, Vetch's, Buckwheat, Peas, and more!
Annual Legumes
Forage Peas
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Forage peas are a leafy, high‑yielding field pea variety bred specifically for forage, producing very high‑quality, protein‑rich feed with excellent palatability. They are a cool‑season annual legume best suited for spring planting, commonly grown with other forages for silage or grazing while also fixing nitrogen to support soil fertility.
MUNG BEANS
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Mung beans are a warm‑season annual legume known for rapid growth, good drought tolerance, and usefulness as a forage, green‑manure, or cover‑crop species. They produce moderate biomass, fix nitrogen efficiently, improve soil health, and perform best in hot conditions on well‑drained soils, making them well suited to short‑season summer cover or forage systems.
COMMON VETCH
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Common vetch is a cool‑season annual legume used for forage, pasture, and cover‑crop purposes, valued for its vining growth habit, good palatability, and strong nitrogen‑fixing ability. It performs best when grown with companion crops such as small grains for support, improves soil fertility and structure, and produces moderate to high‑quality forage for grazing, hay, or green manure when managed before seed set.
CHICKLING VETCH
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Chickling vetch also known as grass pea, is a cool‑season annual legume used primarily as a cover crop or green manure because of its strong nitrogen‑fixing ability, drought tolerance, and effectiveness for erosion control and weed suppression. While it produces moderate biomass and can be used cautiously for forage, grazing is generally limited because the seeds can be toxic to livestock if consumed in large amounts.
WINTER LEGUMES
HAIRY VETCH
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Hairy vetch is a cool‑season annual or biennial legume widely used as a winter cover crop, forage, or green manure because of its vining growth habit, winter hardiness, and strong nitrogen‑fixing ability. It produces high‑protein, palatable forage when grown with a companion grass for support, improves soil fertility and erosion control, and is typically terminated or harvested before full seed set to prevent volunteer regrowth.
WINTER PEAS
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Winter peas often called Austrian winter peas, are cool‑season annual legumes grown for forage, cover cropping, and soil building, valued for rapid early growth, good winter hardiness, and strong nitrogen‑fixing ability. They are commonly planted in fall with companion grains for support, produce high‑quality, palatable forage in spring, and contribute nitrogen and organic matter to improve soil fertility before termination.
BRASSICAS
PURPLE TOP TURNIP
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Purple top turnip is a cool‑season biennial brassica commonly used for forage and cover‑crop systems because of its rapid establishment, leafy growth, and palatable edible bulb. It scavenges excess soil nutrients, helps relieve shallow compaction, and provides high‑quality fall and early‑winter grazing for livestock and wildlife, particularly when planted in mixtures with small grains.
OILSEED RADISH
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Oilseed radish, also called forage or tillage radish, is a fast‑growing cool‑season brassica widely used as a cover crop for soil improvement and nutrient management. It develops a large, deep taproot that breaks up compacted soil layers, scavenges excess nitrogen from deep in the soil profile, and improves water and air infiltration, typically winter‑killing and leaving the soil mellow for spring planting.
DAIKON RADISH
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Daikon radish, also known as forage or tillage radish, is a fast‑growing cool‑season brassica widely used as a cover crop for soil improvement and nutrient capture. It produces a large, deep taproot that breaks through compacted soil layers, scavenges excess nutrients from deep in the soil profile, and typically winter‑kills, leaving improved soil structure and channels for water and root growth in spring.
FORAGE BRASSICA (Rape)
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Forage rapeseed, is a fast‑growing cool‑season brassica used for grazing and cover‑crop systems due to its leafy growth, good cold tolerance, and rapid biomass production. It provides high‑quality, palatable forage for livestock, scavenges excess soil nutrients, suppresses weeds, and helps improve soil structure, making it especially valuable for late‑season grazing and fall soil protection.
KALE
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Kale, when grown as a forage or cover crop, is a cool‑season brassica valued for its exceptional cold tolerance, high digestibility, and nutrient‑dense leafy growth. It produces high‑quality, palatable forage for livestock, suppresses weeds effectively, scavenges excess soil nutrients, and is especially useful for late‑fall and winter grazing or soil protection when grass growth is limited.
GRASSES
TEFF GRASS
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Teff grass is a warm‑season annual bunchgrass used for forage and cover‑crop systems, valued for its fine stems, rapid summer growth, and high palatability. It produces soft, high‑quality hay or grazing forage, tolerates heat and drought well, suppresses weeds quickly, and is often used to bridge the summer forage gap when cool‑season grasses slow down.
ITALIAN RYEGRASS
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Italian ryegrass is a cool‑season annual bunchgrass widely used for forage, grazing, and cover‑crop systems because of its rapid establishment and dense fibrous root system. It produces highly palatable, high‑quality forage that recovers quickly from grazing, scavenges excess soil nutrients, improves soil structure, and provides effective erosion control during fall, winter, and early spring. Can occasionally survive North American winters and provide regrowth the following year.
ANNUAL RYEGRASS (Tetraploid)
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Tetraploid annual ryegrass is a cool‑season annual bunchgrass bred with four sets of chromosomes, giving it wider leaves, more vigorous growth, and higher forage quality than diploid annual ryegrass. It establishes rapidly, produces highly palatable forage with excellent digestibility, and is widely used for grazing, hay, silage, and cover‑crop systems to improve soil structure and capture residual nutrients.
SORGHUM SUDAN GRASS HIBRID TRIDAN
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Tridan sorghum–sudangrass hybrid is a warm‑season annual forage developed by crossing forage sorghum with sudangrass, producing a tall, leafy, high‑yielding grass well suited for summer grazing and harvested forage. It offers rapid regrowth after cutting or grazing, strong drought tolerance, and flexibility for use as pasture, hay, silage, or green‑chop when managed at appropriate heights.
SORGHUM SUDAN GRASS HIBRID CADAN 99B WMR
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WMR sorghum–sudangrass is a warm‑season annual forage hybrid with the White Mid‑Rib (WMR®) trait, which lowers lignin to improve digestibility, intake, and overall forage quality while delivering high yields and rapid regrowth. It is widely used for summer grazing, hay, silage, and green‑chop, offering strong drought tolerance and multi‑cut potential when managed carefully for prussic acid and nitrate risk.
OTHER COVER CROP SPECIES
BUCKWHEAT
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Buckwheat is a fast‑growing warm‑season annual broadleaf commonly used as a cover crop because it establishes quickly, suppresses weeds, and fits short planting windows between crops. It also attracts pollinators with abundant white flowers and scavenges nutrients—especially phosphorus—before terminating with the first frost. Buckwheat can be very beneficial when adding to cover crop mixtures as well.
OILSEED SUNFLOWERS
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Oilseed sunflowers are beneficial in green feed and cover‑crop systems because they produce substantial biomass with nutritious stalks and leaves, while their deep, aggressive root system scavenges residual nitrogen and helps relieve soil compaction. They also add biodiversity, attract pollinators and beneficial insects, and leave durable residue that protects the soil and improves structure for following crops.
PHACELIA
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Phacelia is a fast‑growing annual broadleaf used as a cover crop because it scavenges nitrogen, improves soil structure, reduces erosion, and establishes quickly under a wide range of conditions. It is also highly valued for its exceptional pollinator and beneficial‑insect attraction, making it an excellent choice in cover‑crop mixes aimed at boosting biodiversity and ecosystem services.
PLANTAIN
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Plantain is a deep‑rooted forage herb used in pastures and cover‑crop mixes because it delivers highly palatable, mineral‑rich feed while tolerating drought, low fertility, and frequent grazing. It also provides significant environmental benefits, including improved nitrogen‑use efficiency, reduced nitrate leaching from livestock urine, and enhanced soil structure through its robust root system.
CHICORY
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Chicory is a deep‑rooted perennial forage herb valued in pastures and cover‑crop mixes for its high‑quality, protein‑ and mineral‑rich feed and strong drought tolerance. Its long taproot breaks through compacted soils, improves water and nutrient uptake from deep soil layers, and enhances pasture resilience and summer forage production for grazing livestock.