Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages farmers and landowners who planted cover crops this fall to apply for the state’s cover crop insurance discount program by Jan. 14, 2022. Eligible farmers and landowners can receive a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums. Farmers can sign up now for the cover crop insurance premium reduction program at apply.cleanwateriowa.org. To qualify, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or federal cost share programs.
“Farmers and landowners are investing in conservation practices, like cover crops, to enrich soil health and water quality,” said Secretary Naig. “The cover crop insurance discount program is an effective way to get even more cover crops planted across the state. I encourage more Iowa farmers and landowners to incorporate cover crops into their operations and take advantage of this program next fall.”
Cover crops help improve soil health, prevent soil erosion and lock in nutrients, especially during extreme weather events. Cover crops are proven to reduce nitrogen loads by 28-31 percent and phosphorous loads by 29 percent, which helps improve water quality. They also offer weed control and livestock grazing benefits for producers.
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