Farm characteristics shape farmers’ cover crop choices in Finland

Abstract

Cover crops (CCs) are a diverse group of species that are sown simultaneously or after the cash crop either as monocrops or mixtures. A farmer survey with 1130 respondents was carried out with the aim to gain knowledge on CC species used by Finnish farmers, to understand how experienced farmers were with them, how experiences varied depending on farm and farmer characteristics, and to identify target groups for dissemination and policy measures. The studied groups were conventional and organic farms that had selected CCs as a registered measure in 2020 to receive agricultural payments. Our results show that farmers were experienced with a high number of CCs despite the high-latitude conditions. Only 11% of respondents had plenty of experience with CCs as mixtures. Farmers tended to favour CCs that were familiar to them as cash crops. Organic producers were usually more experienced than conventional farmers. Education increased curiosity towards CCs. Farmers who used more diverse cash crops tended to use more diverse CCs. In conclusion, especially farmers who have cereal-based systems and rotations should be a core group for knowledge sharing to support transition towards increased use of CCs and higher diversity of CC species in the future.