A Comprehensive Training Program for Agronomists
Canadian Organic Growers (COG) is proud to offer the Cover Crop Certification for Professionals, an advanced, applied training program designed to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of agronomists, agrologists, Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs), and other agricultural professionals who support farmers in the adoption and management of cover crops.
Cover crops play a critical role in sustainable agriculture; improving soil health, enhancing biodiversity, supporting water quality, and increasing climate resilience. Yet, despite their proven benefits, consistent and confident use of cover crops across Canada remains limited. This course addresses that gap by equipping professionals with the technical understanding and applied skills to design, implement, and evaluate successful cover crop systems across diverse Canadian regions and production contexts.
Why Cover Crops?
Cover crops are a powerful and flexible tool available to build resilient, profitable, and sustainable agricultural systems. Integrating them effectively requires a balance of science, management experience, and regional knowledge.
Professionals who complete this certification will be prepared to help farmers achieve tangible, on-the-ground impacts such as:
- Enhancing soil structure, fertility, and biological activity
- Increasing nitrogen availability and nutrient cycling efficiency
- Supporting pollinators and beneficial insects
- Improving water retention, infiltration, and erosion control
- Reducing input costs and improving long-term farm profitability
- Strengthening resilience to drought, floods, and climate extremes
Through this course, we aim to cultivate a community of skilled cover crop professionals who can confidently guide farmers and organizations in adopting practices that improve both economic and environmental outcomes.
Discover How to Design and Support Successful Cover Crop Systems
Participants will develop the technical foundation, analytical skills, and practical tools to assess, design, and monitor effective cover crop strategies.
You will learn to:
- Assess farm conditions, regional constraints, and opportunities for cover cropping
- Develop site-specific recommendations that align with producer goals and agroecological conditions
- Create customized cover crop plans and integrate them into broader farm management systems
- Support farmers with post-implementation monitoring, troubleshooting, and follow-up evaluation
- Communicate cover crop benefits and outcomes effectively to clients and stakeholders
Participants will leave the course with:
- A customized cover crop plan developed for a real or hypothetical farm scenario
- Applied evaluation tools for monitoring and assessing the success of cover crop systems
- A network of professional peers and mentors engaged in advancing sustainable agriculture across Canada
- A certificate of completion demonstrating advanced competency in cover crop management for professionals
Who Should Take This Course?
This course was designed for professional agronomists who want to deepen their knowledge and practical skills in cover cropping. While it is built with agronomists in mind, participation is not limited to them. Individuals working in agricultural extension, advisory, or technical support roles may also find the content highly valuable for their work with farmers.
If you’re unsure whether this course is a good fit for your background please reach out to us at covercrops@cog.ca.
Course Overview
Registration
The course is being offered from January 12th to April 13th, 2026. Participants are asked to please click the button below to register by December 15th, 2025.
Tuition: $500.00
Course Format
The Cover Crop Certification for Professionals is a comprehensive course delivered primarily online through a combination of self-directed and live learning sessions.
Participants will engage in:
- Independent online learning modules to build foundational knowledge
- Live virtual sessions for applied learning, discussion, and peer exchange
- Interactive case studies and planning exercises to apply learning to real-world examples
This hybrid format provides flexibility for working professionals while offering the benefits of collaboration, mentorship, and professional networking.
Course Modules
The course is structured around four key modules that build the competencies required to design and support successful cover crop systems in Canada.
Module 1: Principles and Foundations of Cover Cropping
Module 2: Assessing Conditions and Designing Strategies
Module 3: Developing Customized Cover Crop Plans
Module 4: Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation
Course Assessments
Each module includes short quizzes, reflective exercises, and applied case studies. The primary assessment is the development of a cover crop plan for a real or modeled farm system, demonstrating the learner’s ability to synthesize course concepts into a professional deliverable.
This course uses a pass/fail evaluation model; participants must complete all modules and assessments to receive their certificate.
Professional Accreditation and Continuing Education Credits
This course has been designed to be eligible for professional development and continuing education credits. The exact number of credits is currently being assessed, and updates will be shared once final approval is confirmed. The course has been submitted for Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) continuing education units and an update will be provided once approval is received.
Participants are also encouraged to check with their respective professional associations or certification boards for details on how this course may apply toward their continuing education requirements.
Course Access
Participants will have 24-hour access to all course materials and resources through COG’s online learning management system (LMS), allowing flexible, self-paced study.
Access will remain available indefinitely to registered participants, so materials and tools can be referenced as ongoing professional resources.
Additional Requirements
Technology
The course is delivered entirely online. Participants must have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection.
Time Commitment
Participants should expect to dedicate approximately 3-5 hours per week to course content, activities, and assessments. Live learning sessions will typically be 1-2 hours each, session dates and times will be scheduled well in advance with participant availability in mind. There will be 4-6 live sessions throughout the course period. Weekly commitment will vary throughout the course, and is highly dependent on individual learning pace and style.
Course Cancellations and Postponements
Canadian Organic Growers (COG) reserves the right to change or cancel a course at any time. When it is necessary to cancel or postpone a course, COG will make every effort to notify all students. It is important that you provide your full contact information including an email address when registering. In such cases, the paid course fee(s) will be refunded.
Refund Policy
- A full refund will be issued provided Canadian Organic Growers (COG) receives a refund request in writing at least 30 days prior to the course start date.
- If the refund request is received by COG after 30 days prior to the course start date and before the end of the first week of the course, a full refund, less a 25% cancellation fee will be provided.
- No refunds will be provided after the end of the first week of the course.
- Failure to take part in a course does not constitute notification of withdrawal and will result in the forfeiture of the entire course fee.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to abide by general academic integrity standards like giving credit, providing accurate references, taking responsibility for their own ideas, and respecting others’ privacy. Students found to be abusing the standards of academic integrity or participating in academic misconduct as detailed below may risk their eligibility and overall participation in the course.
Standards of Academic Integrity
Include, but are not limited to:
- Independently producing assignments and other course deliverables under their own name.
- Providing accurate and appropriately referenced work including listing collaborators or contributors.
- Completing assignments and other course deliverables without giving or receiving assistance (including the use of AI) with the exception of students requiring assistance due to a documented accessibility/accommodation need.
- Respecting the integrity of course materials, copyright and file privacy of other students and COG.
Academic Misconduct
Includes, but is not limited to:
- Cheating (misrepresenting that they have mastered information).
- Fabrication (intentionally using false information, falsifying research or findings with intent to deceive).
- Plagiarism (intentional or unacknowledged use of another persons words, ideas, and or data).
- Helping or attempting to help another to commit act(s) of academic misconduct.
FAQs
Yes – international students are welcome to register for the course. However, please note these important considerations that may impact your course experience:
- The course is offered within a Canadian agricultural context only
- Live course elements will be offered in Canadian time zones only
- The course is offered in English only
- Students outside of Canada will not be able to participate in any on-farm or in person mentorship components of the course
No – this course is intended for adult learners who are at least 18 years of age.
No – there are no prerequisites for this course.
No – there are no textbooks required in this course. However, the course includes readings and other learning activities with each module that we strongly suggest you complete for maximum learning.