The Indiana State Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency have joined forces for the Cover Crop Premium Discount Program.
For the fourth year, this program will reward farmers who plant cover crops by providing a reduced premium on their crop insurance. The discount program was designed to promote planting additional acres of cover crops that are not covered by other state or federal incentives. This program is eligible for 26 out of the 92 counties in Indiana.
Over the last year, this program has had great success with 117 farmers participating, translating to more than 35,000 acres of cover crops on Indiana farmland in the watershed.
This program will provide farmers with a unique opportunity to receive financial incentives for implementing cover crops on their operation. Farmers who plant cover crops on owned or rented acres will receive a $5 per acre crop insurance premium discount. Farmers who planted cover crops in the fall of 2023 are eligible to apply.
Qualifying counties in the project area include Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Floyd, Greene, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Randolph, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Switzerland and Washington.
Cover cropping has many benefits, including increased organic matter, improved soil biology and better water infiltration and water-holding capacity. This practice also prevents nutrients and sediment from running off the farm, keeping them out of nearby waterbodies and streams.
Funding for this program is provided by a Clean Water Indiana grant and the Cummins Foundation. The foundation is supporting The Nature Conservancy to improve water quality across Indiana and the Mississippi River Basin.
Applications are due March 15 or when available funds are exhausted. To learn more and apply, visit in.gov/isda/divisions/soil-conservation/cover-crop-premium-discount-program.
