DES MOINES, Iowa—Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today reminded farmers and landowners who planted cover crops this past fall to apply for the state’s Crop Insurance Discount Program ahead of the Friday, January 26 deadline.

Eligible Iowans can receive a $5 per acre discount on spring crop insurance premiums.  To sign-up, visit Apply.CleanWaterIowa.org.

“Iowa farmers and landowners continue to utilize conservation and water quality practices, including cover crops, at record levels,” said Secretary Naig. “The Crop Insurance Discount Program helps defray some of the costs of getting these cover crops established, so I encourage farmers to get their eligible acres enrolled before the deadline.”

Now in its seventh year, this innovative program, offered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, has become a model for other states and the federal government. To date, nearly 2,000 Iowa farmers have enrolled over 1,000,000 acres of cover crops in the program. To qualify for the program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs.

Program Details

The Crop Insurance Discount Program is jointly administered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA). Iowa’s program has served as a model and has been replicated by the USDA as well as Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. To qualify for the Crop Insurance Discount Program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or federal cost share programs. Farmers should visit the local USDA Service Center to learn about other cost share funding available to support the implementation of conservation practices. Some insurance policies, such as Whole-Farm Revenue Protection or those covered through written agreements, may be excluded. Participants must follow all existing farming practices required by their respective policy and work with their insurance agencies to maintain eligibility.

(contributed press release, IDALS)