Cover Crops Are a Smart Investment

Although cover crops are growing in popularity, they are still only used on about 6 percent of cropland, meaning there is plenty of opportunity for growth. The good news is that for the second year running, the White House requested funding in its annual budget for a program that gives farmers a $5-per-acre “good driver discount” on their crop insurance if they plant cover crops. This commonsense proposal is based on popular programs that are currently in place in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin, as well as a temporary program that the U.S. Department of Agriculture ran from 2022–2023 before funding ran out. And there is legislation called the COVER Act already waiting in Congress that could make this program a reality in the next Farm Bill. With 78 percent of farmers supporting proposals like the COVER Act to boost cover crop adoption, this is a proposal…