I am not in a program of doing covers every year but have tried them over the years on some acres. I don't tend to do things the same every year but l do try to go back on the old row if I can. I at least want my middles cleaned out to have a good irrigation furrow. This will also help the area where your pipe lays. With the chemical programs we use now and the weeds we deal with I want this done before I spray a preemergence chemical that I have been spraying before I plant. I like to get a rain on that before planting. Since going to twin row I have started using a wider and flatter bed so my furrow is not as deep or as wide as it used to be. Back when we were still raising cotton and planting a single row on 38" beds I had a cultivator gang mounted every other middle on the planter that plowed a furrow in those middles. Combines and grain carts turning around in the field can really mess up your beds so the water want flow down the middles.

I guess the big thing I am saying is do what you can before planting your crop to be sure your irrigation will work as it should. I remember those years that made us invest in being able to furrow irrigate the whole farm.