Can Organic or Conventional Vegetables be Produced Sustainably without Cover Crops?

Vegetable and fruit consumption patterns in the United States show that most people need to eat far more fruits and vegetables to meet the current nutritional guidelines for a healthy diet.  Recent analyses suggest that following these guidelines would require a 50% increase in the acreage devoted to these crops.  But this could have serious environmental implications if unsustainable production practices are used, and this situation will likely intensify with population growth and climate change.  Cover cropping is well-recognized as a ‘best management practice’ in vegetable production systems because cover crops can provide a variety of ecosystem services (nutrient cycling, pest suppression, soil improvement, erosion control, etc.), but, cover cropping is still relatively uncommon in many of the most important vegetable production regions in the U.S.  Are these systems without cover crops sustainable and if not, could cover crops change this?  Should cover crops be required in vegetable production systems?  If most vegetable growers used cover crops, how would this affect the supply and cost of vegetables, the amount of land and other resources needed to meet the demand for in major vegetable production regions?  Such a radical change in major vegetable production regions of the U.S. could potentially have ripple effects throughout the country.  This interactive presentation will draw from short and long-term research with cover crops in high-value vegetable production in Salinas, California, and on the results of recent surveys of cover cropping experts in the U.S.  It will highlight some major challenges and benefits with cover cropping in organic and conventional systems, and address some critically important and difficult questions that impact human and environmental health.