If you’re thinking about trying cover crops, Jay Whalen offers some advice that might sound counterintuitive: Start out using them on your worst ground, not your best.
That unconventional approach launched Whalen Farms on a 17-year journey that recently earned the operation the 2026 Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award from the Illinois Corn Growers Association and Precision Conservation Management (PCM). The annual award recognizes PCM farmers demonstrating excellence in land stewardship and conservation leadership.
Whalen farms 2,000 acres west of Streator, Ill., with his father, John, and sister, Melissa Whalen Smith, in Livingston and LaSalle Counties.
Their measured approach to cover crops has transformed soil health while improving farm economics — a combination that eventually convinced the family to expand the practice across nearly every acre.
Building Proof Over Time
Jay Whalen’s conservation journey began in the mid-1990s when he started no-tilling soybeans while continuing to till corn. He planted his first cover crops in 2009, driven partly by his role as a seed specialist with Pro Harvest Seeds.
“I like knowing what I’m selling, so that was when I started implementing the cover crops,” he recently told John Klemm on Illinois Corn TV.
Rather than making a wholesale commitment to cover crops, Whalen expanded gradually — typically adding 50 to 100 acres at a time. By 2016, he had enough data and experience to use cover crops on his entire operation.
“Take your worst piece of ground, whether it’s 5 acres, 10 acres, 20 acres, whatever it is. Start small. Start experimenting with it. See the results,” he advises.
Starting on less productive ground gave Whalen room to learn without risking his entire operation. The gradual expansion also helped him determine which cover crops fit different fields and how much management he could realistically provide for each.
As harvest gets closer (or started for some of you!), don’t forget about your cover crops! Your choice to plant before, during, or after harvest comes with its own advantages and challenges. Learn about your options for cover crops this fall: https://t.co/aXbTI7RmcU… pic.twitter.com/yhk2v4YW1Z
— Science for Success (@SoybeanScience1) September 16, 2026
Tailor Systems to Farm Realities
Whalen now uses multiple cover crops depending on his crop rotation and field location.
After corn, cereal rye is his standard choice before soybeans. “Cereal rye is a very easy-to-manage cover crop,” he says. “You don’t need to change a lot in your operation (to use it).”
Cover crops ahead of corn require more management, and Whalen adjusts his approach based on field location. On fields further from the home farm, he uses oats and radish because the mix winterkills and requires minimal spring management. Closer to home, he uses annual rye and radish, where he can more easily handle spring termination and sidedress nitrogen applications.
“Every operation is different. Everybody farms differently,” Whalen says.
Soil Tests Reveal Fertility Shift
Through a three-year EQIP project with his local soil and water conservation district, Whalen began using Haney soil tests to track field changes. The results transformed his fertility program.
“That was my big eye opener,” he says. “I literally in that three years saw the soil on those acres changing and my soil test changing from inorganic fertility to organic fertility.”
Those results prompted Whalen to reduce synthetic fertilizer applications, following recommendations based on organic fertility levels rather than inorganic levels.
The Bottom Line Drives Decisions
“Jay and Melissa are doing all the right things,” says Aidan Walton, PCM specialist for North Central Illinois, who nominated the Whalen family for the stewardship award, in a release. “They have transformed the health of their soils over the years to now needing little to no phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Their nitrogen rates are at or below MRTN recommendations, and their nitrogen use efficiencies are among the best of all my cooperators — all while maintaining profitability.”
For Whalen, profitability remains the most important measure.
“I would say the best kept secret on our farm is either ROI or profitability,” he says. “It’s amazing when people ask me, ‘Why are you doing cover crops?’ ... And really, the biggest thing is my return on investment and my profitability seems to be higher using them.”
Reduced fertilizer and fuel costs contribute to improved economics. PCM analysis shows much of Whalen’s ground currently needs little to no synthetic phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, while nitrogen rates are at or below Maximum Return to Nitrogen (MRTN) recommendations for Illinois.
Whalen shares PCM reports with his landlords, providing data on the economic and environmental performance of fields — a far cry from adopting practices simply because they look good or because neighbors are doing them.
Measure What Matters
Whalen encourages farmers to track metrics that matter to their operations: soil tests, yields, fertility rates, fuel use and cover crop management costs. Then use that information to determine whether a practice deserves more acres.
“When I was getting into cover crops, we had no data, we had no information at all, we had no proof,” Whalen says.
Today, he has years of soil tests, yield data and management records to evaluate changes and chart future agronomic decisions. His participation in PCM provides another dataset for making management decisions.
With cover crops, the key takeaway, Whalen adds, is that farmers don’t need to make a wholesale commitment to determine whether they can work. His advice: start with manageable acreage on some of your worst ground, measure results, and let the numbers guide future decisions.
