Investigating Seeding Rate of Cover Crops for Biomass and Nutrient Content

Dec 05, 2025

By Mary Hathaway and Anthony Reyes

Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center is a nonprofit farm in the floodplains of Snoqualmie Valley, WA. Anthony Reyes, the Agricultural Program Manager, manages 81 acres of certified organic land by experimenting and trialing climate adaptive and resilient agricultural practices. Along with his team, he works to reconcile our expanding human needs and the health of our ecosystem through sustainable agriculture, thoughtful management of our forests, ecological restoration, and education.

Oxbow Farm cultivates a variety of different crops well suited to the Snoqualmie Valley floodplain, and maintains a crop rotation to allow the soil to recover and regenerate. Anthony strategically removes fields from production each year and leaves them fallowed in cover crop to help protect the watershed, build up nutrients, and manage weeds, pests, and diseases.

Finding a Cover Crop that Works

Anthony was interested in understanding how to find a cover crop that would meet the needs of the farm – managing climatic challenges, erosion, and weed pressure. Ideally, anything that would be planted would help add biomass and could withstand drought conditions. Manipulating the seeding rate of the cover crops had been one way that the farm had considered better coverage of the soil, and Anthony was curious if the recommended seeding rate was the right density for their soil.

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Video: Agriculture Secretary Rollins Speaks at American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Anaheim

One of the highlights at the 2026 American Farm Bureau Federation Convention in Anaheim, California, was an address by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. During her remarks, she thanked America’s farmers and ranchers and said the Trump Administration is fully aware that food security is national security.

She also acknowledged the challenging times in Farm Country with low commodity prices and high input costs and said that’s why the President stepped in to help with the recent Bridge Assistance Program.

Montana Farm Bureau Federation Executive Vice President Scott Kulbeck says that Farm Bureau members are appreciative of the help and looks forward to working with the American Farm Bureau Federation and its presence in Washington, DC to keep farmers and ranchers in business.

Secretary Rollins said the Trump Administration is also committed to helping ranchers build back America’s cattle herd while also providing more high-quality U.S. beef at the meat case for consumers.

And she also announced more assistance for specialty crop producers who only received a fraction of the $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA).

It’s important to note that producers who qualify for Farmer Bridge Assistance can expect the Farm Service Agency to start issuing payments in late February. For more information, farmers and ranchers are encouraged to contact their local USDA Service Center.