| dc.description.abstract |
Cover cropping is an agricultural practice that produces on-farm benefits while contributing
to broader public sustainability goals. However, barriers to farmer adoption of cover
crops remain poorly understood. This study seeks to determine the relative importance
of the barriers that farmers overcome to adopt cover crops in North Carolina and identify
the resources that enable their success. We implemented an email survey of NC farmers
to gather quantitative data about cover crop use and preferences, supplemented by
qualitative interviews with experts on cover crop adoption to determine the influence
of policies on farmers’ decision to implement cover crops. Our data show that farmers
in NC overcame three broad categories of challenges to adopt cover crops: agronomic,
input costs, and knowledge transfer. The level of these challenges varies depending
on farm size and income, age of farmer, farming experience, and whether information
to plant cover crops was obtained through extension, farmer networks, or private industry.
Timing, in particular, was a challenge for farmers regardless of their demographic
characteristics. We recommend a holistic policy approach that strengthens diverse
types of knowledge sharing through on-farm demonstration, bolsters farmer incentives
using existing cost-share programs, and invests in applied research to develop varieties
that are more easily incorporated into a cash crop rotation.
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