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Sunflowers are normally raised as an oilseed crop, but when it comes to soil health, these plants can pack a big punch. They have a great tap root for going down deep in the soil and breaking up compaction. Sunflowers are also excellent hosts of mycorrhizal fungi. Above ground, they can provide forage for livestock and can attract beneficial insects with their large flowers. These broadleaf plants can also work well between seasons as they germinate in soils as cold as 39 degrees and can tolerate a very light frost event. This allows sunflowers to be planted earlier in the spring and later in the season than most other warm-season broadleaf plants. With all their benefits, there are not many summer cover crop mixes that wouldn’t benefit from one or two pounds of sunflowers.