Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to Offer Crop Insurance Discount Program

Sep 29, 2023

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will again offer its crop insurance discount program for acres that are planted with cover crops. Farmers and landowners who plant fall cover crops will have the opportunity to apply for a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums.

Farmers and landowners may start enrolling in the crop insurance discount program on December 1.

“Planting cover crops improves water quality, enhances soil health, produces valuable forage and feed for livestock and yields many other agronomic benefits for farmers,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Cover crop utilization continues to rise in Iowa, and we want to further accelerate the adoption of this proven water quality practice by offering this crop insurance discount incentive.”

To qualify for the program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) cost share programs.

Now in its seventh year, this innovative program has become a model for other states as well as the federal government. To date, nearly 2,000 farmers have enrolled over 1,000,000 acres of cover crops in the program.

Source : iowaagriculture.gov

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.