cover crop seed

       My name is Matt Rush. I was born and raised in Troy, Kansas where I grew up on my family's farm and became a 4th generation farmer.

       I love everything about farming. I love the fact that a farmer wears many different hats. One day he is an accountant, the next he is a truck driver. The day after that, maybe a veterinarian, or possibly a purchasing manager for the next season's inputs. I believe that the diversity in farming is what keeps it fresh and makes it so enjoyable.

       I launched Troy Cover Seed in 2012. It began with a visit from a friend of mine who lived in Northwest Kansas. We were discussing farming and the different practices that we were trying on our family's farms. He encouraged me to look into and try cover crops, but I dismissed his suggestion believing that cover crops only provide erosion control. He invited me to No-Till on the Plains in Salina, Kansas to learn more about cover crops. I hesitantly went not expecting much.

       When I arrived, I sat in the auditorium with over 500 farmers. Ray Archuletta with NRCS was the first speaker. Within the first 30 minutes of Ray's speech I did a complete 180. He said things I had never considered. Such as how soil is designed to have living roots all year long, so that soil activity and biology will be promoted. That was the exact opposite of what I had previously believed. I was raised by the mantra that a clean, weed-free field outside of the cash crop season gets the high yield. I never considered the fact that every percent of organic matter has a water holding capacity of 25,000 gallons of water per acre, or that all of the soil microbes in the top foot of one acre of soil weigh more that two cows.

       After hearing Ray, I decided I wanted to work toward utilizing the natural resources that were beneath my feet. My dad, brother, and I then began adding cover crops into our operation. After time and studying cover crops I decided I wanted to break into the cover crop seed business. That's how Troy Cover Seed began.

       The mission of Troy Cover Seed is to help and support farmers who are currently using, or want to try using cover crops. Whether that be answering questions about cover crops, providing farmers with quality seed at a competitive price, or giving advice to growers that are new to cover crops, Troy Cover Seed is here to help.

 

Matt Rush - Founder & Owner