Other clovers will likely produce significantly less. The growing cover crop through fall and winter helps maintain soil quality and retain nutrients that otherwise might be lost by runoff or leaching. Adding the clover biomass to the soil helps maintain organic matter levels with important benefits to soil quality. Erosion control is obviously a major objective and benefit. Once the clovers are established and the grain is harvested, vigorous clover growth offers direct weed control benefits and additional crop diversity helps interrupt pest cycles.
Some potential problems exist when frost-seeding clover into winter grains.
It is not compatible with spring weedy conditions nor with most herbicide weed control, which calls for foresight and planning. Spring-killed clovers may excessively deplete soil moisture needed by the subsequent crop, which may reduce the benefit of the nitrogen contributed. To avoid this problem, timing for killing the clover must be adjusted according to the weather and an effective means of killing is crucial. Lastly, the benefits of the clover cover crop will be reduced if one's cropping system requires fall tillage. Summary Agricultural regions and even individual farms have unique conditions.