Results from a thirty-five year winter cover crop/cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) rotation study in Bossier City, Louisiana, continue to show the benefits of a winter cover crop on cotton yield and soil organic matter. In 1993, cotton following hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and no nitrogen fertilizer produced significantly higher yields compared to cotton following winter fallow but supplied either 40 or 60 lbs. fertilizer nitrogen per acre. In addition, organic matter content in hairy vetch plots was significantly greater than plots which were winter fallow, but supplied supplemental nitrogen fertilizer. On average, for the past thirty-five years, cotton following hairy vetch has produced the highest yields.