News

IL “Fall Covers” program continues to grow

Illinois farmers who enrolled in the state’s “Fall Covers for Spring Savings” program saw a discount on their crop insurance premiums this year.

Director of Agriculture Jerry Costello tells Brownfield…

“We’re in our fifth year.”  He says, “The program has been unbelievable. The first year we had 50,000 acres allotted. It took us 12 days to fill those 50,000 acres. This year, we had 140,000 acres. We filled it in 38 minutes.”

He says farmer demand was even higher…

“We actually had 241,000 acres that were applied for, but only 140,000 acres in the program,” he says.

Costello says proposed legislation could grow the program next year…

“We can prove that farmers are out there wanting to plant cover crops.”  He says, “Cover crops – It’s such an important topic for our nutrient loss reduction strategy. It’s also an area where the environmental community and the ag community work very, very well together.”

Enrolled farmers who plant fall cover crops receive a premium discount up to $5 per acre on the following year’s crop insurance.  Enrollments typically take place each December. 

The 2023 Census of Agriculture showed cover crop usage in Illinois is up 25% in the past five years. 

AUDIO: IL Director of Agriculture Jerry Costello