Illinois farmers who plant cover crops this fall can once again qualify for a discount on next year’s crop insurance premiums through the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s (IDOA) Fall Covers for Spring Savings program.
IDOA will offer up to a $5-per-acre discount on 2026 crop insurance premiums for verified cover crop acres seeded in fall 2025 and planted to an insurable crop the following year, depending on the applicant’s policy. The official application period runs through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, January 15th. Forms can be saved and edited at any time before submission.
Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted. The program is expected to cover up to 190,000 acres statewide, including 40,000 acres funded by the Illinois EPA to help reduce nutrient loss in the Mississippi River Basin.
To apply, farmers must submit their FSA-578 acreage report, crop insurance policy numbers, and field identifiers. The discount program is designed to promote additional acres of cover crops, so acres already receiving state or federal cost-share payments are not eligible.
The program is open only to farmers insured through the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Approved applications will be sent to the RMA for processing, and the premium discount will be applied to 2026 crop insurance invoices.
“We appreciate the efforts of IDOA in offering the Fall Covers for Spring Savings program to farmers in Illinois,” said Eric Gerth, Illinois Farm Bureau associate director of environmental policy and conservation, to FarmWeek.
“This has been a very popular program amongst our members in previous years,” Gerth continued. “Not only does it provide a direct financial incentive to the farmer, but the adoption of conservation practices, such as cover crops, can provide soil health and water quality benefits on the landscape.”
Farmers seeking assistance with the application process can contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District offices or IDOA’s Bureau of Land and Water Resources at 217-782-6297.