Synergies between cover crops and corn stover removal

The potential harvest of corn stover as a feedstock for biofuels to meet government mandates has raised concerns about the agronomic impacts of its removal from fields. Furthermore, in order to meet these mandates, larger quantities of stover will be required. As a result, increased attention has been placed on sustainable agronomic practices, such as cover crops. While cover crops may offer desirable benefits, adoption comes at a cost. The objective of this study was to determine the extent to which cover crop costs could be compensated by additional stover removal and additional agronomic benefits from the use of cover crops.