Farmers in Illinois can receive incentive payments for cover crops planted in 2023 by enrolling in Farmers for Soil Health by February 28. Farmers for Soil Health is a collaborative initiative led by the National Soy Checkoff, National Pork Checkoff, and National Corn Growers Association in partnership with state commodity groups and conservation organizations such as Precision Conservation Management (PCM).
“This program is unique because it was built by farmers for farmers, and it assists with the cost and learning curve of adopting cover crops,” says Ben West, executive director for Farmers for Soil Health. “We built flexibility into the timing, allowing farmers to enroll their fields before or after planting cover crops.”
PCM is the state Technical Assistance partner for Farmers for Soil Health in Illinois, Kentucky and Nebraska. Since no carbon credit is claimed through Farmers for Soil Health, there could be opportunities to stack payments from more than one program on each acre of cover crops. Reach out to a PCM Specialist to see if you qualify for additional payments.
“The Illinois Soybean Association prioritizes providing agronomic support for farmers as well as on-farm conservation practice research and adoption,” says Brady Holst, ISA Soybean Production Committee Chair.
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Categories: Illinois, Crops