Long-term use of cover crops like hairy vetch and winter wheat, along with no-tillage farming, has improved soil quality and increased cotton yield in the Southeastern USA. The addition of cover crops compensated for low cotton residue decomposition, leading to better soil physical properties. Soil moisture content was higher with vetch cover crop and no-tillage, while wet aggregate stability improved by 13%. The combination of vetch cover crop and no-tillage also enhanced soil infiltration rate and aggregate size, resulting in increased cotton lint yield.