Seed Bed: Do cover crops really improve soil quality?

The answer depends on the soil conditions, the crop mix and the weather in a given year

by KEITH REID

When it comes to cover crops, I am often faced with proponents on one side and sceptics on the other. The proponents emphasize the value of cover crops for improving soil quality, while the skeptics point to the lack of immediate benefits to pay for the cover crop establishment. Does this mean that one group is right and the other wrong?     

Better Farming - March 2009