Tarping is the practice of applying reusable tarps to the soil surface and removing them prior to planting to manage or terminate weeds, crops, and cover crops. Tarping can facilitate the transition between cash crops with minimal to no soil disturbance. The use of tarps to terminate cover crops in no-till and reduced tillage systems allows farms to achieve the benefits of integrating soil-building practices without specialized equipment or the application of herbicides. Given the logistical challenges of moving, securing, and storing the tarps, they are typically used on small farm operations of less than 5 acres.

Tarping offers numerous climate change adaptation benefits. When used in conjunction with reduced or no-tillage and cover crops, tarping can build soil health, improve water holding capacity, increase infiltration, and reduce erosion and surface runoff. Mulch from cover crop residue can further enhance these effects, while also conserving soil moisture and regulating soil temperatures. Tarps themselves can be used as a moisture management tool during wet periods to prevent soils from becoming saturated and during dry periods to prevent evaporative losses. Additionally, tarps may reduce or eliminate the need to use equipment for tillage, which can be helpful in rainy and wet periods when the soil is too wet to work. This affords farmers more flexibility with respect to the timing of cover crops and plant termination, which is increasingly important in a more variable climate.

Tarps of varying thickness, material, permeability, durability, and size can be used for this practice, including landscaping fabric, billboard (not currently allowed under USDA organic standards) and silage tarps, with a lifespan ranging from 2-8 years. A commonly available silage tarp is 5mil thick and 32ft wide by 100 ft long. Sandbags and cinder blocks are often used to secure tarps and prevent the tarp from blowing loose and becoming a hazard to equipment, animals, and people. At least two people are generally needed to apply, remove, and store tarps, though this may vary depending on tarp and field size as well as weather conditions.

The use of tarping in cover crop and conservation tillage systems is a flexible multi-step process. Integrating the use of cover crops with tarps requires an even stand of cover crops with high biomass. The crop should be laid down before applying the tarp. Rolling is the best method for doing this, as it avoids creating stubble that can poke holes in the tarp as would be the case with mowing. An example of this application of tarping, best suited to transplanted crops, is shown below.