Grassland Oregon has released a “next generation cover crop” specially designed to be winter-hardy and set up to 100 units of nitrogen per acre.

Grassland Oregon co-founder Jerry Hall says they created FIXatioN to address a number of farmers’ concerns “and the result is a cover crop that outperforms all other clovers in hardiness, biomass and most importantly, nutrient fixing to increase cash crop yields.” He adds that the crop is also a high protein forage for livestock.

FIXatioN Balansa clover is a small-seeded annual legume that features rapid germination and vast quantities of biomass. Individual plants can exceed ten feet in length, however, the plant structure is only able to support three feet of vertical growth. The biomass produced completely shades the ground, smothering the majority of weed and crop species. In Oregon field trials, FIXatioN was able to outgrow and smother rogue daikon radish plants that had not winter-killed.

The plant’s deep tap roots also contribute to long-term soil health and conservation, creating channels for rainfall to penetrate deep into the soil, breaking up compacted soil and preventing erosion.

Learn more here.