PEORIA, Ill. – Illinois has lower cover crop usage compared with neighboring states in the region, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. A recent Zoom meeting with Midwest leaders from American Farmland Trust (AFT) and a few dozen Illinois agriculture professionals sought to address factors that are discouraging growers from cover crop adoption.

Also included in the conversation: a glimpse into the 200-page 2021 Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) biennial report, which showed a 13 percent increase in field phosphorus (P) losses and a 35 percent increase in nitrogen (N) loss from Illinois farm fields compared to the previous report.

“If you go through all the different conservation programs, the cost-share programs, and assessments of where cover crops could go, and add that up you are still not getting quite to the scale of getting close to that 3 million acre implementation goal,” said Max Webster, AFT Midwest policy manager. “This speaks to some of the need to continue to find ways to support and enhance (conservation) programs so they can meet the needs of more producers to adopt cover crops.”

Webster noted that future resources that could encourage more producer participation in cover crops include an expansion of the Partners for Conservation program, increased funding for soil and water conservation districts (SWCDs) and boosting the capacity of the state to improve water quality monitoring. AFT research shows that there are fewer dollars dedicated to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) or Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Illinois compared to other states.

In addition, the research suggests that the “close-out” period for EQIP and CSP enrollment can be a barrier in the Prairie State. Conversely, according to AFT, conservation networks in neighboring Indiana have “a strong local culture” in place that helps support farmers as they ease into conservation practices.

“The Partners for Conservation program is a cost-share program that we saw supporting a good number of cover crop acres across the state, (while) increasing funding for county SWCDs and increasing the ability of the state to monitor water quality would really help inform us where practices can best be used,” Webster said.

During the Oct. 25 meeting, Illinois producer Paul Berbaum, a first-year cover crop user who farms on “perfectly flat” cropland, offered an opinion on why not many of his neighbors have expressed interest in cover crops. “In my area there is no reason to have cover crops for erosion,” said Berbaum, who received technical assistance when starting his cover crops. “I’m getting into it because it is the right thing to do. I don’t know how we are going to convince some farmers, from those I’m talking to. But I am looking forward to getting into it.”

Meeting participants included those from Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. They included Ruth Hilfiker, certified technical service advisor for the NRCS in Minnesota.

“It seems to me it is important for technical service providers or consultants like myself to build the cover crops into long term rotations. When it is all set up for a farmer, it is much more likely they will follow the practice. I put cover crops into all of the long-term conservation plans that I develop,” said Hilfiker, who also encourages interseeding wider-row corn with cover crops planted in between them. “That way the (cover crop planting) dates don’t become so important after harvest.”

Stacey Zuber, a state soil specialist for the Illinois NRCS in Champaign-Urbana, noted that because her area of the state has the highest percentage of rented land in the state and in the country, cover crop adoption has been slow. “With long term rotations, cover crops aren’t always a feasible option or aren’t perceived as a viable option for a lot of farmers on one-year leases and verbal leases. That’s an extra challenge,” Zuber said.

Cover crop acres through state and federal programs need to be increased in Illinois, according to Kris Reynolds, AFT Midwest director. At the same time, not all farmers can get their applications approved for EQIP or CSP. Reynolds said that prioritizing the tenets of the Illinois NLRS, including increased emphasis on cover crops, within existing conservation programs could give a boost to cover crop usage.

Most of the meeting participants agreed that much of the problem lies in the fact that many cover crop funding or cost-share programs offer only one-year, one-field payments to farmers for trying out cover crops. When farmers don’t realize an immediate impact, they discontinue the effort.

“What I am seeing is that a lot of farmers are trying it for one year essentially for the payment,” said Pete Fandel, professor of agriculture at Illinois Central College and cover crop specialist. “They are not seeing a positive impact because there might not have been anything they were really trying to fix. And in most cases, one year of cover crops is not going to solve anything. Maybe funding less acres on a more long-term basis, with more personalized help, might improve the scenario.”

The meeting ended with a reminder for Illinois producers that beginning Dec. 15, applications for the state’s 2021 Fall Covers for Spring Savings crop insurance premium incentive program will be accepted by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The program, which will be increased from its 50,000-acre maximum enrollment to 100,000 acres this year, had reached capacity less than 12 hours after enrollment was opened last year.