Project Summary

Join this network to investigate cover crop performance on your farm and contribute to farmer-generated data that helps improve our understanding of cover crop strategies and performance across the state. Participating farmers will collect a fall and spring cover crop sample and receive FREE cover crop biomass, nutrient uptake and forage quality analyses and an honorarium for participating.  

Project Lead

Soil Health Alliance for Research and Education, a group of researchers and educators working with the USDA Dairy Forage Research Center, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, and the Wisconsin Nature Conservancy 

Eligibility

We welcome all levels of cover crop experience and types of operations currently actively using cover crops and require only that you are willing to sample in the fall and the spring. 

Date Recruiting Closes

October 15, 2025 

Why Collaborate?

Learn about cover crop biomass, nutrient uptake and forage quality on your fields and what these values mean relative to your goals.  

As a thank you for your partnership: 

• Farmers receive a $100 stipend for contributing cover crop samples and a $25 stipend for filling out the survey. 
• We send you your FREE results on cover crop biomass, nutrient analysis and forage quality. 
• We share interactive web and paper reports, so you can learn of project findings and compare your own cover crop practices and results with other farmers all around the state. 

Additional Details

Requirements for participation:  

• Complete a survey this fall on one field or set of fields where you cover crop, either online or paper options available.  
• Collect and mail a cover crop sample in the fall and again in the spring. You will receive a cover crop sampling kit in the mail this fall, with all the equipment and guidance you need to collect a sample. Collecting cover crop samples should take less than 15 minutes. 

We will test cover crop samples for dry matter, nutrient analysis, and forage quality and provide individual results back to you.   

Learn More

Learn more about the Cover Crop Citizen Science Network HERE or register here if you are ready to participate.  

Questions or comments? Contact Dan Marzu, University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension North Central Nutrient and Pest Outreach Specialist. Phone or text: 608-381-6702. Email: dan.marzu@wisc.edu