By M. Samantha Wells, Extension agronomist – Forage/Cropping systems High-quality cover crops in a bed of harvested corn stalks, Goodhue, MN. Photo: Alan Kraus, CRWP. Cover crop adoption across the U.S. is on the rise, but Minnesota adoption has hovered around 2%. While Midwestern farmers understand the importance of soil health, adopting sustainable technologies that offer limited near-term economic returns is challenging. Four southeastern Minnesota farmers, the Cannon River Watershed Partnership (CRWP) and the University of Minnesota are addressing that challenge. They are pairing wide-spaced corn rows with cover crops to test whether both economic and ecological outcomes could be improved. Why wider rows? Row spacings vary between operations, crops, and locations across the U.S., but generally, corn is typically managed in 30-inch rows. For 40 years or more, crop rows have narrowed to maximize sunlight interception and subsequent profitability. As a result, thirty-inch ...