Cover Crop Seed Calculator
Cover crop seed pounds, bags, and rate per acre.
What it does
Cover crops work fallow months: rye holds soil, vetch banks nitrogen, clover feeds pollinators, peas break compaction. Each earns its keep only at the right seeding rate for the planting method.
The tool above takes species, drilled or broadcast, with acres or hectares. It returns seed weight, bag count, and the per acre rate.
The default 10 acres of drilled rye needs 750 lb, or fifteen 50 lb bags at 75 lb per acre. The metric mirror of 4.05 ha needs 340 kg at 84 kg per ha.
SARE cover crop research brackets rye drills near 60 to 120 with broadcasts to 160, while NCSU legume tables pin clover, vetch, and pea bands by method. Tool rates sit mid band with tillage notes attached.
Seed tags and local windows adjust every number here. Inoculate legumes, mind depth at half to 2 inches by species, and terminate on time so the cover feeds the cash crop instead of fighting it.
How to use
- Pick rye, clover, vetch, or pea.
- Pick drilled or broadcast.
- Type acres or hectares.
- Read seed pounds first.
- Read bag count beside it.
- Read the rate last.
Formula
- species
- Rye, crimson clover, hairy vetch, Austrian pea.
- method
- Drilled meters seed; broadcast scatters it.
- area
- Field size in acres or ha.
SARE Managing Cover Crops Profitably sets rye drill ranges of 60 to 120 with broadcast 90 to 160, and NCSU winter legume tables fix clover drilled 15 to 20 with broadcast 20 to 25, vetch drilled 15 to 20 with broadcast 20 to 30, and pea drilled 20 to 25 with broadcast 25 to 35. Tool rates sit at published midpoints. Metric converts acres at 2.47105 and lb/acre at 1.12085 to kg/ha.
Worked example
Example: 10 acres of rye
Imperial defaults: rye, drilled, 10 acres.
- Field: 10 acres of cereal rye, drilled.
- Rate: 75 lb/acre drilled per SARE trials.
- Seed: 75 x 10 = 750 lb.
- Bags: 750 / 50 = 15 x 50 lb bags.
- Metric: 4.05 ha needs 340 kg at 84 kg/ha.
- Tool shows 750 lb, 15 x 50 lb bags, 75 lb/acre drilled.
Reference table
| Species | Drilled | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Cereal rye | 75 | 110 |
| Crimson clover | 18 | 22 |
| Hairy vetch | 18 | 25 |
| Austrian winter pea | 22 | 30 |
Limits
- Planning rates; tags and labs rule.
- Pure live seed assumed.
- Blends need cut rates.
- Windows vary by zone.
Common mistakes
- Broadcasting at drill rates.
- Skipping inoculant on legumes.
- Planting rye past the window.
- Burying clover too deep.
- Letting covers seed themselves.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
Clover broadcast on 5 acres?
22 x 5 = 110 lb, three 50 lb bags at 22 lb/acre broadcast.
Vetch drilled on 20 acres?
18 x 20 = 360 lb, eight 50 lb bags at 18 lb/acre drilled.
0 acres?
Zero acres seed nothing: enter area above 0.
Questions
Rates used?
Rye drilled 75, broadcast 110; clover 18/22; vetch 18/25; pea 22/30 lb per acre. Broadcast runs higher for poor seed soil contact.
Drilled or broadcast?
Drills meter depth and cover evenly; broadcast needs disking or cultipacking plus extra seed.
Inoculant?
Inoculate legumes with matching rhizobia, especially on new ground. Rye needs none.
Mixes?
Rye plus vetch near 42 plus 19 lb per acre is the classic Maryland corn mix.
Planting windows?
Rye latest of all, 6 weeks before hard freeze at minimum. Legumes want earlier windows.
Adjust for tillage?
Yes, 20 to 30% less drilled seed in tilled beds, more in no till. Blends cut single rates.