Huron County's Clean Water Project committee approved 296 new projects this year.
That's an increase of 19 over last year, and over a quarter of those projects were for cover crops.
Kate Monk, the stewardship manager for the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, said the use of cover crops has grown considerably over the last few years in Huron County.
Monk said it's critical for Huron County farmers to do everything they can to hang on to the limited amount of topsoil that's available in the area.
"We have inches of topsoil compared to the feet of topsoil that some places have, especially in the States, they have a lot more topsoil in some areas. So it's critical that we keep that topsoil on the fields and that's where it does the most good and doesn't end up in water courses," she said.
Monk said the success of cover crops depends on two things; producers who are willing to experiment with them, and funding to help them do that.
Huron County contributes $400,000 to various projects and that included funding for five-thousand acres of cover crops.
Anyone looking for more information about cover crops and the funding that could be available for them can call either the Ausable Bayfield or Maitland Valley Conservation Authority.
