About Us

The Southern Cover Crops Council (SCCC) was formed in July 2017 by a community of the willing from all the states and territories in the Southern Region. Our community includes farmers, researchers from Land Grant Universities and the USDA Agricultural Research Service, extension specialists, Natural Resource Conservation personnel, industry representatives and non-governmental organizations.  Our overarching goal is to increase cover crop use through collaborative education and research across the Southern region.

The mission of the SCCC is to facilitate and enhance communication and collaboration among producers, extension, researchers, and other agricultural professionals, and transfer information and technology to promote the successful adoption and integration of cover crops into southern agriculture systems.

We have specific and ambitious goals that include:

• Integrating cover cropping as a mainstream agricultural practice into all food, fuel, and fiber production systems of the Southern region of the U.S. by increasing total percentage of farm operations using cover crops from 9.5% in 2012 to 15% by Dec. 2022 as reported by the National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) and doubling the total number of agricultural acreage using cover crops in each state/territory of the Southern regions as reported by US Ag Census data by Dec. 2022.
• Promoting natural resource conservation through the use of cover crops that increase farm profitability and environmental stewardship by increasing knowledge and skills of farmers and ranchers by launching online platforms to reach 10,000 contacts annually by Dec. 2019; creating/collating/disseminating multiple SCCC educational materials that reflect knowledge of experienced growers, researchers, outreach professionals and industry; fostering basic, applied and participatory cover crop research in the Southern Region; and establishing a multi-state research project by Dec. 2019; and developing regional resource guide for cover crop implementation.
• Creating a financially sustainable and well-managed Southern Cover Crops Council by adopting a formal budget and related funding model by August 1, 2017 and adopting a governance structure and corresponding leadership in place by August 1, 2017.
• Developing Network Membership by increasing number of SCCC members from 60 in 2016 to at least 2,500 members from Southern region, with at least 25 members from each state/territory by Dec. 2019.

Help us reach our goals!

Volunteer with SCCC. Volunteers are encouraged to interact with the SCCC through formal activities or informal conversations. As a volunteer, the SCCC encourages your feedback on existing activities and programs to ensure solutions to cover crop issues across the southern region are being provided. Click here for opportunities with standing committees and projects.