With winter fast approaching, farmers across Indiana are planting their cover crops such as winter wheat or rye. Cover crops are usually planted in the winter and have multiple benefits to the soil and ecosystem of a farm.

However, new research suggests these crops can also have a positive impact on the environment. According to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, cover crops can take carbon pollution out of the air.

The report estimates that the state’s cover crops take over 2 million metric tons of carbon out of the air each year, which is the equivalent of taking more than 400,000 cars off the road. Cover crops are mostly used for soil maintenance instead of selling. Mike Dunn is the Director of Production Environment for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. He says that more work is needed to convince farmers of the monetary benefits of cover cropping.

According to the Purdue Ag Extension, cover crops usually pay for themselves by increasing row crop yields in subsequent years.