Tell the Illinois General Assembly: Our state needs to expand funding for cover crops to 200,000 acres.

The world of agriculture is facing enormous challenges ahead, and soil health management is the key to the long-term production and sustainability of the nation’s working lands. For America's farmers and ranchers, the soil beneath their feet is the foundation of their success – it's a life-giving force that grows the food to sustain our nation.

One method to building that foundation of soil health is planting a cover crop. A cover crop is a type of plant (i.e. grasses, legumes) that is used in conservation and crop production practices that reduces nutrient leaching, soil loss, and runoff, while also improving soil health. The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy shows that cover cropping can be one of the most effective in-field strategies for reducing both nitrate-nitrogen and total phosphorus lost from corn-soybean fields.

For the past two years, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has offered the Fall Covers for Spring Savings program to provide a $5/acre discount on crop insurance premiums for farmers who plant those acres in cover crops between growing seasons. This program is easy to access and offers a simple incentive for farmers to plant and keep their land in cover crops. Unfortunately, it only has enough funding to support farmers on 50,000 acres.

In the 2020 application period, farmers submitted over 185,000 acres to be funded through the program and we know that there are even more farmers out there that could use this support. That’s why we are asking the Illinois General Assembly to expand funding for the program to cover at least 200,000 acres in 2021.

Without increasing the amount of acres planted in cover crops, Illinois will struggle to meet its nutrient loss reduction goals. According to recent research, Illinois is already two centuries away from reaching its goals. 

In the Midwest, American Farmland Trust works with farmers and conservation partners to protect and restore the health and productivity of this vital natural resource. We encourage farmers to adopt practices that increase the soil's organic matter, making it more productive and resilient.

Please sign this petition and let the Illinois General Assembly know that you support expanding funding for cover crops to 200,000 acres in the state of Illinois.

To find out more information regarding this program and how you can write your own letter of support,
contact Midwest Policy Manager, Max Webster OR read our new blog post about other efforts to reduce nutrient loss in Illinois!

No Farms, No Food

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