If you already plant fall cover crops, or are considering it, Michigan State University offers five reasons why cereal rye is a good choice.

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1.     Reduces weed seed germination (allelopathic effect).

2.     Provides significant organic material for soil improvement (up to 3-5 tons per acre if grown to maturity).

3.     Reduces or prevents soil erosion in fall and spring.

4.     Supplies nutrients to the following crops (good scavenger of surplus nitrogen and other nutrients, reducing nitrate leaching by tying up nitrate in rye plant material and making it available to following crops).

5.     Very winter hardy.

Read more reasons why rye is a good choice, along with some possible drawbacks from MSU.

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