From our blog: Soil Health

New Fact Sheets Bring Cover Crop Guidance for California Growers

June 29, 2026

Each fact sheet combines the latest research with grower experience on the ground, going well beyond general cover crop guidance to meet farmers where they are. The suite builds on the foundation of practical considerations for managing cool-season cover crops with maximal water benefits and minimal water use laid out in the May 2025 guidance document, and extends it with a depth of context, data, and practical implementation detail.

Turning Science into Policy: ETSGSA Pioneers a Water Credit for Cover Crops

July 29, 2025

Cover crops are a known practice in California agriculture for reducing water runoff, increasing the amount of water that can infiltrate and stay in the soil, improving biodiversity, limiting groundwater pollution, and supporting better air quality, among other benefits. But under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), concerns persist about whether cover crops “count against” growers’ limited water budgets and begs the question, is cover cropping worth the risk?

New Guidance Released to Help California Growers Maximize Water Benefits of Cover Crops

May 6, 2025

Sustainable Conservation and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), along with UC ANR and other partners, have released a new guidance document — Cover Cropping in California’s Water Scarce Environments — to help growers harness the many benefits of cool-season cover crops while reducing water use. As farmers adapt to a changing water supply, this guide provides practical considerations about cover crop species, timing, and management to reduce runoff, increase infiltration and water retention, and bolster overall soil health.

Cover Cropping in California’s Water Scarce Environments

May 6, 2025

Practical considerations for managing cool-season cover crops with maximal water benefits and minimal water use Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Sustainable Conservation, UC ANR, and USDA are excited to share this new guidance document. Download the guidance document here. Water Benefits of Cover Crops Cover crops can be highly beneficial in California’s annual and perennial…

Get More from Less with Conservation Tillage

January 30, 2014

Pictured Above: Strip tillage in progress using newly purchased implements on a field in Hilmar, CA. Learn more about Sustainable Conservation’s current work to scale healthy soils practices in California! What is Conservation Tillage? Conservation tillage, also known as strip-till, is a method of low-impact farming that leaves crop stubble on the surface of the…