Practical Farmers’ cover crop cost-share program is now open for farmers in seven Midwestern and Great Plains states
Contact:
Tamsyn Jones | Editor & Outreach Coordinator| Practical Farmers of Iowa | (515) 232-5661 | tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org
AMES, Iowa (June 2, 2022) — Practical Farmers of Iowa invites farmers who are thinking of seeding cover crops this fall to apply for cost-share and technical assistance through PFI’s cover crop cost-share program.
Sign-ups are open now and will continue through summer for the program, which includes a range of initiatives launched over the past seven years with supply chain partners.
This year, the program has expanded to include farmers in parts of Kansas, Minnesota and South Dakota, in addition to farmers in Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Nebraska. Full details and an application form are available at practicalfarmers.org/cover-crop-cost-share.
Cost-share terms: Also new this year, there is no limit on the number of acres farmers can enroll. Participants can receive $10 per acre on up to 200 acres or 10% of farmed acres (whichever is larger), and $5 per acre on everything above that. Both existing cover crop acres or those seeded with cover crops for the first time are eligible to enroll.
“The program is very flexible,” says Lydia English, PFI’s field crops viability manager. “Eligibility is linked to where farmers sell their corn or soybeans. But there are no requirements on the species or seeding method used.”
Farmers can stack the cost-share with other publicly-funded programs, but cannot dually enroll acres in another private cost-share program like a carbon market. Full details are available online.
Practical Farmers provides technical assistance to anyone new to cover crops and hosts a number of events throughout the year to support farmers learning from other farmers about how to make cover crops work for them.
“The cost-share program is about as easy as anything I’ve been associated with,” says Kevin Prevo, who raises corn, soybeans and hogs with his brothers and dad near Bloomfield, Iowa.
Kevin has enrolled in PFI’s cover crop and small grains cost-share programs since 2020 and has been practicing no-till and cover crops on every acre of the farm for eight years.
“It’s a simple process,” he says. “PFI is good to work with and helps me protect our soil. Every little bit helps.”
For questions, to check eligibility or for help getting signed up, contact Lydia English at (515) 232-5661 or lydia@practicalfarmers.org.
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About Practical Farmers: Practical Farmers of Iowa works to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities. Our values include: welcoming everyone; farmers leading the exchange of experience and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, collaboration and community; resilient farms now and for future generations; and stewardship of land and resources. To learn more, visit http://practicalfarmers.org.