MCCC is offering Cover Crop Essentials, designed for educators, to a limited number of Midwest ag professionals. This is a virtual course that will emphasize bi-weekly cohort discussions and provide seed for demo plots to be used in course activities. This course will run August-November 2026. Applicants should fully understand the requirements of the course and commit to participation of this pilot training.
Thanks to support from North Central SARE, this second cohort has the opportunity to participate in Cover Crop Essentials at no cost.
The main components of this course:
- Weekly video lectures to watch on your own time
- Weekly assignments to track cover crop test plot progress (seed will be provided)
- 4 plots, ~ 3'x3' each (~36 sq ft total)
- Bi-weekly zooms with your cohort from across the Midwest to discuss lecture content and test plot progress
- Estimated time commitment: 2-3 hours/week for 9 weeks
More Course Information
Hear what former students are saying about their experiences!
"I am glad to have more foundational knowledge of cover crops that I have already been able to use while writing conservation plans."
“Thank you for a great course, I've learned a lot these past few months and will never underestimate what it takes to grow cover crops”
"CCE provided an opportunity to experience growing cover crops and learn about them from experts. The guided test plot experience assured me that my plots were on the right track, and the lab activities opened my mind to new ways of measuring cover crop productivity."
"MCCC Cover Crop Essentials was a great learning opportunity for me to grow as a Soil Health Professional. Having a plot that I could look at daily was important to learn more about the in field traits of these cover crop species."
"For the demo cover crop plots as part of the MCCC cover crops essentials course, I partnered with another student in the cohort and the local intermediate school district to plant our cover crop plots on edge of field cropland on school grounds. We coordinated with the instructor for the Natural Resources course to engage high school students in the plot evaluation and harvesting activity, sharing with students the importance of cover crops for soil health. Students enjoyed digging up the tillage radish tubers, looking for earthworm activity, and seeing how each species performed in establishment vs. growth."