Maryland farmers plant a record number of cover crops - Earth.com

Maryland farmers plant a record number of cover crops

Today’s Image of the Day comes thanks to the NASA Earth Observatory and features a look at winter cover crops planted across Maryland. The photo was taken in January 2017 by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on board the Landsat 8 satellite.

As we reported last week, recent studies have shown that cover crops can actually help reduce the effects of climate change. They are also used to increase soil health and boost overall agricultural yields by reducing soil erosion and absorbing nutrients that pollute nearby waterways.

This winter, Maryland farmers planted a record number of these protective crops, including wheat, rye, barley, and radish.

By Rory Arnold, Earth.com

Source: NASA Earth Observatory

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