Midwest Cover Crops Council: Innovations In Cover Crops and Perenniality.

In an era where the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basins suffer from serious environmental degradation, shifting agricultural systems to include continuous living cover can play a significant and positive role in revitalizing and restoring our lakes, rivers, fields, and communities.  The Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC) is a diverse group from academia, production agriculture, non-governmental organizations, commodity interests, private sector, and federal and state agencies collaborating to address soil, water, air, and agricultural quality by increasing the use of cover crops throughout the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River Basins.  The MCCC is the outcome of a 2006 Cover Crop Summit supported by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.  The MCCC is a Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River regional project connecting eight states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin) and Canada (Ontario).  The MCCC proposes to improve the ecological and environmental functioning of the predominant annual cropping systems in the upper Mississippi and Great Lakes Basins by incorporating cover crops on 30 percent of these acres in 15 years.  Through on-going support and leveraging funds from numerous funding sources, the network has grown to 251 members; maintains a website (www.mccc.msu.edu) and listserv; holds annual meetings; collaborates on regional research and extension; develops tools and resources to increase farmer adoption; and promotes cover crop use throughout the region.  The MCCC has developed a strategic plan with initiatives for research, extension/education, communications, policy and funding.  The MCCC works hard to involve academia, production agriculture, NGOs, commodity interests, private sector, and representatives from federal and state agencies. Partners include universities, NRCS, OMAFRA (Ontario), Departments of Agriculture, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Conservation Technology Information Center, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association and Green Lands Blue Waters.