Illinois Department of Agriculture launches eighth program year.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture is in its eighth year of its Fall Covers for Spring Savings program, and farmers are invited to apply to earn lower insurance premiums with cover crops.
Farmers who apply for the program can plant cover crops during the fall season to earn the lowered premiums on spring crops.
“The Fall Covers for Spring Savings cover crop premium discount program helps farmers lower their crop insurance costs while improving soil health, reducing erosion and enhancing long term land productivity,” IDOA Director Jerry Costello II said in a news release. “It’s a practical way to strengthen both environmental stewardship and farm profitability at the same time.”
Cover crops, which often include grasses and legumes, are planted on farms to protect the soil from erosion, weeds, compaction and more, while also enriching the soil with moisture and nutrients, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The program applies to Illinois acres seeded with cover crops in the fall of 2026 and planted with an insurance crop in 2027.
Eligible applicants may receive a discount of up to $5 per acre on their 2027 crop insurance premium for each cover crop acre, according to the release.
A total of 190,000 acres are available for the 2026-2027 program year, and funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Over the past seven years, the program has funded 890,000 acres of cover crops, according to the release.
Participants can enter and validate their information at 8 a.m. on Nov. 20, the start of the pre-enrollment period. Applications can be submitted once the program opens at 8 a.m. Dec. 15, until the program closes at 11:59 p.m. Jan. 15, 2027.
Applicants must certify their cover crops with their local Farm Service Agency office before applying and be prepared with their current FSA-578 and federal crop insurance policy numbers, according to the release.
The program is only applicable to those with coverage through the USDA Risk Management Agency crop insurance program, according to the release.
Source - https://www.shawlocal.com
