NRCS National Soil Quality/Soil Health Program advocates consideration of cover crops even in semi-arid dryland cropping systems.  Research has shown that adapted cover crops can add significant potential benefits in many cropping systems, however, in semi-arid regions (<20” annual rainfall), moisture use by the cover crop itself may be net detrimental to the cropping system.  NRCS research and objectives will be reviewed.  Research from semi-humid regions may be only partially applicable to semi-arid regions.