Source: American Seed Trade Association news release
Alexandria, VA — As part of a $10 million effort funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ‘s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the first National Cover Crop Variety Test Report is being released publicly. This project is led by the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture, working closely with the American Seed Trade Association and over a dozen partner organizations including seed companies, land-grant universities, as well as USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service.
Andy LaVigne, President and CEO of the American Seed Trade Association, said “This project has been a great example of a public-private partnership effort that will pay economic and conservation dividends for farmers across the country, providing valuable information that enhances their conservation efforts.”
The intent of the National Cover Crop Variety Testing program is to identify how new and existing cover crop varieties perform in a wide variety of locations across the country. For this first-year report, data from 11 states is provided for 25 different varieties representing six different cover crop species. The project leader, Dr. Rob Myers of University of Missouri, stated “We’re excited to share this new data on cover crop variety performance, and in future years will continue to expand the numbers of varieties tested in support of further cover crop adoption.”
According to Dr. Etienne Sutton, project manager, “The data we report on includes cover crop biomass, winter survival, flowering date and other observations such as weed control and plant disease occurrence where relevant. Weather data for each test location is also included in the report.” Click Here to view the full report.
A national webinar is planned to help farmers and farm advisors gain familiarity with the information in the report. The webinar, to be jointly hosted by the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and the American Seed Trade Association, will be held on Monday, July 14, 2025, from 12:00 to 12:45 p.m. EST. Interested attendees can register for this free webinar here.
In addition to testing cover crop varieties in public trials, the National Cover Crop Variety Development Project is conducting breeding efforts to develop new cover crop varieties with superior traits, evaluating root growth and forage quality of new varieties, helping more farmers learn how to become cover crop seed producers, and working to advance overall adoption of improved cover crop varieties. More information on the project is here.
This partnership with the Center for Regenerative Agriculture is part of ASTA’s longstanding commitment in providing farmers and landowners strategic resources to support their conservation efforts. As part of this work, ASTA also maintains an updated guide of environment, conservation, and cover crop seed suppliers organized by geographic region and seed type, empowering interested stakeholders to achieve their sustainability goals. To view ASTA’s Environment, Conservation, and Cover Crop Seed Resource Guide, click here.
About ASTA
Founded in 1883, the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) represents nearly 700 companies involved in seed production, plant breeding and related industries in North America. ASTA is the leading voice of action in all matters concerning the development, marketing and movement of seed, associated products and services throughout the world. The association’s broad membership offers varieties from alfalfa to zucchini and all production types including conventional, organic and biotech. ASTA promotes the development of better seed to produce better crops for a better quality of life.
