Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will again offer its crop insurance discount program for cover crops this year. The program offers farmers and landowners who plant fall cover crops, like rye and oats, the opportunity to apply for a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums. The sign up for the program will begin on December 1, 2022.

In addition to preventing soil erosion, especially with Iowa’s variable weather conditions, cover crops improve water quality by locking in nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. They also offer weed control and additional forage for livestock producers.

To qualify, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other State or USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs. More information about the cover crop insurance discount program is available at cleanwateriowa.org/cropinsurancediscount.