The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is offering its insurance discount program for cover crops for the eighth year.

The program, called Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program, encourages cover crop acres not supported by other state or federal incentives. Cover crops are plants grown primarily for the benefit of the soil and ecosystem rather than for food or sale.

A total of 190,000 acres are available for the 2026-2027 program. Funding of eligible acreage is on a first-come, first-served basis. Over the last seven years, the program has funded 890,000 acres of cover crops, according to IDOA.

“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,” said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. “It’s a practical way to strengthen both environmental stewardship and farm profitability at the same time.”

The program applies to Illinois acres seeded to cover crops in the fall of 2026 and planted to an insurable crop in 2027. Eligible applicants will receive a discount of up to $5 per acre on their 2027 crop insurance premium, depending on individual crop insurance policies, for each verified cover crop acre.

The program is only available to those with coverage through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (USDA-RMA) crop insurance program. Approved applications will be forwarded to the USDA-RMA for processing and premium discounts on 2027 crop insurance invoices.

Applicants must certify their cover crops with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office before applying and have their current FSA-578 and federal crop insurance policy numbers ready.

Pre-enrollment will begin on November 30, with applications being accepted starting December 15. The program closes on January 15, 2027.

Applications are available by following the program link on the IDOA website at agr.illinois.gov/.

PHOTO: Illinois Department of Agriculture sample cover crop photo.

Topics Agribusiness Illinois