New Research Brief: Cover Crop Incentive Programs & Adoption Trends in the Northeast

Sep 08, 2025

The New York Soil Health team has released a new research brief exploring how cover crop incentive programs influence farmer behavior and cover crop adoption in the Northeast.

Why Incentives Matter

Cover crops are a proven tools for protecting and improving the soil, reducing erosion, and reducing fertilizer needs. However, it takes time, resources, and management to implement cover crops, and many farmers face barriers. Incentives can help farmers manage these challenges by lowering financial risks and supporting cover crop adoption. For these programs to be effective, they must be flexible and accessible, especially to farmers with limited resources.

The new policy brief, “Cover Crop Incentive Programs and Adoption Trends in the Northeast,” shares findings from a 2023 survey of farmers in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Maryland. The results make a strong case for expanding and improving these programs to meet environmental and equity goals.

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Video: Cheapest States to Buy Farmland in America

The United States has more than 895 million acres of farmland, which includes all rural land tied to farming operations, from highly fertile Midwest cornfields to vast grazing ranges in the West, as well as the undeveloped rural land, which is often sold as ranches, homesteads, or uncultivated lots. Nowadays investing in rural land is very lucrative even billionaires like Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Warren Buffett have bought up thousands of acres of farmland across America. In contrast to investors, agricultural companies, and business moguls, some buy farmland for their own requisites, like starting a small farmstead, creating a cottage, and becoming self-resilient. In this video we have ranked the top cheapest states to buy farmland according to the per-acre land value, which is accumulated from the United States Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s per-acre land values come from an annual survey, which is cross-checked with actual sales data, appraisals, and market trends to ensure accuracy. So here are The top Cheapest States to Buy Farmland.