Cost-Share for Extended Rotations

Program Overview

Extended crop rotations enhance soil quality and provide a pathway to reduce reliance on synthetic inputs. Practical Farmers of Iowa supports farmers using extended crop rotations by providing cost-share for the following extended rotation practices: 

• Reduction of applied nitrogen on corn cost-share: For 2026 corn following a small grain plus cover crop or leguminous hay crop, reduce nitrogen by 40 pounds per acre from your usual corn-soy rate or apply no more than 100 pounds per acre.
• Small grains cost-share: Raise a small grain (oats, cereal rye, barley, wheat, triticale) that will be harvested as grain or forage in 2026, and follow it with a frost-seeded or summer-planted cover crop that contains at least one legume species.

Apply by July 1

Program Highlights

Receive $20 per acre on up to 100 acres per cost-share option. You may participate in one or both of the following scenarios – up to 200 total acres if enrolling in both:

1. Small grains cost-share

• Raise a small grain (oats, cereal rye, barley, wheat, triticale) that will be harvested as grain or forage in 2026, and follow it with a frost-seeded or summer-planted cover crop that contains at least one legume species.
• Note: Double-cropping soybeans and relay-cropping soybeans are not eligible for this cost-share. Hay and other forages are eligible if they contain a small grain and a legume. 

2. Reduction of applied nitrogen on corn cost-share

• On 2026 corn following a small grain plus cover crop or leguminous hay crop in your rotation, reduce your applied nitrogen rate to corn by 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre compared to your typical nitrogen rate in a corn-soy rotation OR apply no more than 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre to corn harvested in 2026 that followed a small grain plus cover crop or leguminous hay crop in your rotation.

Eligibility

• Participants must farm in Iowa or in eligible counties in Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska or South Dakota. See eligible counties or contact us for more information.
• Nonorganic and transition-to-organic fields are eligible; fields that are certified organic at the time of harvest are not eligible for this cost-share. 
• Acres can overlap with publicly funded cost-share programs on a county, watershed, state or federal level (ex. EQIP, CSP, etc.). 
• Acres cannot overlap with:
  • PFI programs paying for similar practices, specifically fall cover crop cost-share in 2025 or 2026, or N Rate Risk Protection Program in 2026. 
  • Privately funded cost-share programs, such as a carbon market (ex. Indigo, SWOF, TruCarbon, ADM re:generations, etc). See FAQs for more guidelines.     

Program Steps

1. Have fields eligible for the 2026 program. 

See program program eligibility guidelines to ensure your practices fit the program requirements. 

2. Enroll in the program by July 1, 2026. 

*Note: Enroll ASAP to reserve acres. The program may close early depending on available funding. 

3. Sign a cost-share agreement with PFI. 

Your agreement must be signed within 30 days of PFI emailing it to you. This is a nonbinding agreement between Practical Farmers of Iowa and the agreement holder; you sign it online. If for some reason the agreement conditions cannot be satisfied, the contract will be canceled with no cost-share paid on the enrolled acres and with no penalty to the contract holder. Note that contracts can be canceled through Sept. 15, 2026. After that point, payments are being processed and any contracts previously signed will receive payment.  

4. Talk to a PFI agronomist if enrolling in the reduction of applied nitrogen to corn cost-share.  

Anyone considering enrolling in the reduction of applied nitrogen to corn portion of the cost-share must book a consultation with a PFI agronomist by July 10, 2026. During this phone call, you and the PFI agronomist will determine if your cropping rotation and soil health practices may enable you to reduce your applied nitrogen rate to corn, and by how much. Anyone can sign up for a consultation, but it is required for people in the reduction of applied nitrogen to corn cost-share.

5. Attend a learning event to connect with other farmers in 2026.

View our events calendar. Examples of learning events include field days, webinars, shared learning calls or other cover-crop related events.  

*Note: If attending an event in person isn’t feasible, then viewing a recording of an event is satisfactory. See PFI’s YouTube channel for virtual options available. 

6. Become a PFI member, or check that you are already a member.

You must have an active PFI membership as of Sept. 1, 2026. Join PFI or renew your membership by visiting our membership page or by calling 515-232-5661. If you’re in other PFI programs, we recommend you check your membership status before joining or renewing. 

Learn more about membership benefits on our website. If you’d like family members to be included on your membership, please ensure their names are listed on your application.   

7. Complete your wrap-up survey no later than Sept. 15, 2026. 

The wrap-up survey will ask you to confirm whether or not you followed through on your enrollment plans, as well as ask you to provide small grain marketing information and program evaluation. 

8. Submit program documentation no later than Sept. 30, 2026. 

New in 2026: PFI will require the following documentation for payment:

• If PFI does not already have an IRS W-9 form, you will be required to submit one.
• If participating in the small grains cost-share, you must submit the small grain seed invoice and cover crop seed invoice for the small grain acres enrolled in the program. 

9. Payments will be processed after all relevant paperwork is received and confirmed. All payments will be processed by Dec. 31, 2026. 

Frequently Asked Questions