Most of our current water quality issues (40% of Minnesota waterways are impaired), including the accelerated disappearance of Lake Pepin, can be traced back to this one fundamental change in land use. That’s why scientists, water advocates, and farmers are excited about a new cropping strategy that gets to the “root” of the problem.

Continuous Living Cover (CLC) is the use of diversified crops, including new perennial and winter annuals, to provide ground cover—and hopefully, profits—throughout the entire year.