Over the past five years, no-tillage cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) planting into a killed cover crop has consistently been more productive and profitable than conventional tillage without a cover crop on an upland silt loam soil in northern Mississippi. Legume cover crops with superior reseeding capabilities have been identified. Cover crop management systems that reduce the need for herbicides in no-till and low-till crop production have been demonstrated. These developements remove barriers to wider use of winter cover crops to build soil productivity, increase farm profitability, and avoid adverse environmental impacts in no-till and low-till cotton production systems.