KindHarvest summary: The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced US$2.6 million in grants to support cover crops across 500,000 acres in six Midwestern states. The initiative paired technical assistance with help accessing public and private programmes intended to reduce the financial risk of adoption.
Where the funding was directed
The Midwest Cover Crop Initiative covered Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Minnesota. Recipients included American Farmland Trust, Ducks Unlimited, the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition and Practical Farmers of Iowa.
Support beyond seed costs
Approximately 1,800 farmers were expected to receive technical assistance. The participating organisations would also help growers enrol in programmes through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and Archer Daniels Midland, the two funders of the initiative.
Scale and context
USDA figures cited in the report showed US cover-crop acreage increasing from 10.3 million acres in 2012 to 15.4 million in 2017. That growth represented only about 5.1% of national cropland, showing why practical advice and transition-risk support remain central to wider adoption.
Related KindHarvest reading
For the management side of establishment, read Why it pays to plant cover crops early.
Source and credit
This KindHarvest Team news brief is based on reporting by Chuck Abbott for Successful Farming, published 26 May 2022. Read the full article at Agriculture.com.