The start of December marked the beginning of the application period for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Crop Insurance Discount Program. This initiative encourages farmers and landowners to plant fall cover crops in their fields by offering a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, “Cover crop utilization in Iowa continues to rise because of innovative incentives like the Crop Insurance Discount Program. Iowa is a leader in conservation innovation, and this successful program, which was first developed and launched in Iowa, has become a model in other states and at the national level. This incentive can help defray some of the cover crop seeding costs on more acres, so we invite farmers and landowners to get their eligible acres signed up before January 26.” Now in its seventh year, this program has enrolled nearly 2,000 farmers, covering over one million acres of land. To qualify, interested parties must ensure their cover crop acres are not enrolled in other state or USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share programs. Those interested in participating can sign up at apply.cleanwateriowa.org.
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