A study was conducted to develop information concerning the potential use of winter covercrops in cotton production systems in the irrigated west. Growth and development of covercrops, weeds, and cotton were evaluated. The economics and management requirements for growing winter covercrops were also considered. Legumes were included to determine if they could contribute significant amounts of nitrogen. The results showed that reasonably good cotton yields can be obtained from no-till plantings into chemically-killed crop residues. However, costs of $280 to $300 required to grow and manage these crops seem prohibitive. Only the aggressive annual ryegrass and barley crops, which produced 6 to 10 tons of dry matter/acre, provided adequate winter weeds control. None of the covercrops, which also included hairy vetch, subterranean clover, and tall fescue, adequately suppressed summer weeds. Some problems encountered in the study indicate that special techniques will be required to efficiently apply fertilizers, residual herbicides, and irrigation under covercrops culture. Since covercrops were very costly to grow and manage and provided incomplete control of both winter and summer weeds, this study indicates that covercrops could not presently be justified without some major management changes.