Crop Insurance Premium Reduction For Use Of Cover Crops

Northwest Iowa — If you are a farmer and you planted cover crops this fall, here’s a reminder that you can get a premium reduction on your crop insurance if you act soon.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is reminding farmers of the January 15 deadline to sign up for an innovative new program providing a $5 per acre premium reduction on their crop insurance in 2018 for farmers who planted cover crops this past fall.

Farmers and landowners can sign up online to certify eligible land for the program at www.cleanwateriowa.org/covercropdemo. Cover crop acres currently enrolled in state and/or federal programs are not eligible for this program.

Mike Naig, Iowa’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture says that his department has been encouraged by the interest in this new program and he says they are encouraging eligible farmers to learn more and consider signing up. Naig says the incentive can be a great asset to farmers that are scaling up the number of acres they are using cover crops on, beyond what might fit with other state and federal programs.

The Department worked with the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA), who oversees the federal crop insurance program, to establish the 3-year demonstration project aimed at expanding the use of cover crops in Iowa.

The ag department advises that the new premium reduction will be available for fall-planted cover crops with a spring-planted cash crop. Some policies may be excluded, such as Whole-Farm Revenue Protection or those covered through written agreements. Participating farmers must follow all existing good farming practices required by their policy and work with their insurance agent to maintain eligibility.

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