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The use of cover crops in Iowa has expanded significantly in recent years. The conservation practice, which has been shown to reduce erosion and enhance soil health, is promoted by the state through cost share incentives — an effort by the Iowa Department of Agriculture to reduce nutrients that contribute to the Gulf dead zone. But new research suggests that while the number of acres being planted with cover crops has grown, not all farmers are sticking with the practice.

A study published this summer by Iowa State University researchers found that of more than 3,200 Iowa farmers surveyed, about 20 percent who planted cover crops abandoned the practice a few years after adoption.

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