Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will once again offer its Crop Insurance Discount Program for acres that are planted with cover crops. Farmers and landowners who plant cover crops this fall will have the opportunity to apply for a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums.
The sign-up period will begin on Monday, December 2, 2024, and will close on Friday, January 24, 2025. Participants can learn more about enrollment by visiting CleanWaterIowa.org or by contacting their crop insurance agent.
“Our cost-share programs for cover crops have seen a surge in demand already this summer and fall, so we are expecting similarly strong interest from farmers in our Crop Insurance Discount Program when the application window opens in December. The Crop Insurance Discount Program has proven to be successful at encouraging cover crop usage while also helping farmers save money on their crop insurance premiums,” said Secretary Naig. “Given the numerous benefits of cover crops, including improved water quality, enhanced soil health, forage for livestock, and various other agronomic advantages, we continue to see increasing cover crop acres in Iowa.”
Now in its eighth year, this innovative program has become a model for other states as well as the federal government. To date, nearly 2,000 farmers have enrolled more than 1.2 million acres of cover crops in the program. To qualify for the program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs.
Program Details
The Crop Insurance Discount Program is jointly administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA). Iowa’s program has served as a model and has been replicated by the USDA as well as Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. To qualify for the Crop Insurance Discount Program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or federal cost share programs. Farmers should visit their local USDA Service Center to learn about other cost-share funding available to support the implementation of conservation practices. Some insurance policies, such as Whole-Farm Revenue Protection or those covered through written agreements, may be excluded. Participants must follow all existing farming practices required by their respective policy and work with their insurance agencies to maintain eligibility.
