Most cover crop species make excellent forage and cool season legumes can be used to improve wildlife habitat during winter and early spring when native food sources are scarce.
Wildlife habitat improvement is a popular landowner goal and addresses NRCS natural resource concerns. In addition to the many benefits of cover crops to soil health and water quality, cover crops also make excellent forage. Cool season cover crops can be used to improve wildlife habitat during winter and early spring when native food sources are scarce. Legumes provide protein for large mammal wildlife forage and blooms for pollinators. The NRCS Plant Materials Program completed a national study to evaluate the performance and adaptation of cool season cover crop species to identify varieties with the greatest potential for cover cropping. The top performing cover crop species and varieties at the East Texas Plant Materials Center in Nacogdoches, Texas, would make excellent choices for winter food plots for wildlife habitat improvement in the Western Coastal Plain in southern Arkansas, western Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma, and northeastern Texas. Now is the time to start planning for cover crop plantings this fall.
Red clovers were among the top performing species during the trial at the East Texas PMC. ‘Dynamite,’ ‘Starfire,’ and ‘Freedom’ were the top performing varieties and produced forage well into June. Crimson clovers had better production earlier in the season but ceased growth about the time the red clovers started forage production. Top performing crimson varieties were ‘Dixie,’ ‘Au Robin,’ ‘Au Sunrise,’ and ‘Kentucky Pride’. When planted as a mix, the use of these two clovers would provide high quality forage during critical times of the year for wildlife. Winter peas are another legume option and top performing varieties were ‘Survivor 15,’ ‘Frostmaster,’ ‘Lynx,’ ‘Whistler,’ and ‘Windham’.
For more information on the performance of these cool season legumes and other varieties tested, please see the final study report. For additional information on specific species of plants mentioned, please see the USDA PLANTS database. Technical information and guidance on the use of conservation plants to address resource concerns can be found on the Plant Materials Program website or contact the nearest Plant Materials Center or plant materials specialist.