Farmers for Soil Health, a collaboration between the National Corn Growers Association, National Pork Board and United Soybean Board to create a farmer-led cover crop program, has announced enrollment is now open for the second year of the initiative.

In its first year, 238 farmers enrolled in the program covering more than 78,000 acres to advance cover crop practices. The collaborative hopes to double current U.S. cover crop acreage to 30 million acres by 2030.

Designed to assist farmers in leading the charge in sustainability, Farmers for Soil Health puts real money directly into the hands of producers to drive change where it matters most: at the farm level.

With enrollment now open, the program offers an opportunity for farmers to make a meaningful impact on soil health while benefiting financially. The process is designed to be simple, featuring hassle-free enrollment and satellite-based remote monitoring and verification.

This innovative initiative, which is backed by corn, pork, and soy commodity groups, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities, provides both financial incentives and technical support to corn and soybean farmers planting cover crops.  

Participating farmers who plant cover crops will receive payments to help transition totaling $50 (spanning three years) per new acre of cover crops planted. Or a one-time payment of $2 per acre for farmers with existing cover crops.

Eligible farmers will participate in measurement, reporting and verification to highlight progress toward the goal of expanding adoption of cover crops, according to Ben West, Farmers for Soil Health executive director.

“Farmers for Soil Health is unique in that it provides a couple of key factors that we know will enhance the adoption of cover crops. Technical assistance provides farmers valuable benefits, and knowing what the science says and how to better implement it on their farms is key, West said.

Putting money on the table will help farmers mitigate their risks and sustain the willpower and effort to continually adopt these practices in the future, according to West.

Available to farmers across 20 states, including Michigan, producers in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin are eligible for enrollment in the cost-share programs through Farmers for Soil Health. 

The program — built by farmers, for farmers — West says the program is unique since it helps cover the costs of adopting cover crops, offers technical support and connects producers with supply chain partners.

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