Cover crops protect the soil, build organic matter, and promote healthy soils. Some cover crops are used as forages (sorghum, triticale, and clovers) while others are used for grain (barley, milo, oats, wheat, rye). Now a winter cover crop (winter pea) has been bred for human food and another (penny cress) for oil. Several winter cover crops may now offer farmers additional cash while providing environmental benefits.  USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has been researching winter or autumn-sown peas (Pisum sativum) also called "black peas" or "field peas” which are annual legumes with excellent nitrogen-fixing abilities. These pea species originated in the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia. They should not be confused with cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata), a summer annual which are also known as field peas. Winter peas have been traditionally grown as a cover crop to generate nitrogen, used as animal feed, or used in wildlife plots. Now winter peas (WP) have bee...