Cash for Cover Crops

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Program	Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)	Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)	The Watershed Foundation (TWF) Soil Health Initiative	ADM - Ducks Unlimited Midwest Cover Crop Initiative Program	Farmers for Soil Health (FSH) AMP Partnership Cost Share	Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) Regenerative Agriculture Overview	Soil and Water Outcomes Fund
Cost Share Program Comparison At-A-Glance
Website	EQIP Site	CSP Site	TWF Site	Ducks Unlimited Site	FSH Site	LDC Site	SWOF Site
Practices Covered	Cover crops No-till/reduced till Other practices available	Contract enrolls entire operation, not just specific fields	Cover-crops No-till planting Nutrient and pest management Buffers Water and sediment control basins Other permanent projects	Cover crops Wheat only practices (reduced till, living root, nitrogen balance)	Cover crops	Cover crops	Cover crops No-till/reduced-till
Eligibility	New acres Competitive applications based on factors like watershed location	Applicants must already meet or exceed NRCS stewardship threshold for at least two priority resource concerns and commit to at least one additional priortiy concern during the contract term	Must be located in the Upper Tippecanoe River Watershed (Grassy and Walnut Creek) in Kosciusko County (check this map to see if you are eligible) Cover-crops: priority to first-time adopters	New or expanded acres. Previous cover crop practice allowed on field for a lower payment. Must have corn, soybeans, or wheat in rotation $20/acre = New cover crops planted on those acres from 2023-2025; cannot be paid for cover crop on the same acres by federally funded programs like EQIP/CSP/RCPP $10/acre = Any acres planted before 2023 or in a Federal Program	Corn/soybean (additional crops are eligble as long as corn or soybeans are in the rotation) Retroactive enrollment allowed for cover crops planted in 2024 through June 30, 2025.	Cover crops on acres that will be planted to soybeans in 2026 Leased acres must be under a 3-year lease	New acres/additionality Additionality = adding a new conservation practice to current crop rotation on any given field
Funding Source	Federal (USDA)	Federal (USDA)	State (CWI)	Private	Federal	Private	Private
Program Stackability	May be stacked with some non-federal programs	May be stacked with some non-federal programs	Ineligible for stacking with federal programs. May be stacked with some carbon programs.	Can be stacked with federal programs for a lower rate	May be stacked with some non-federal programs. Ineligible for stacking with federal programs	Cannot enroll the same fields in another private carbon or regenerative agriculture program (e.g. ADM, Bunge, Indigo Ag., etc.)	Cannot stack with any other program taking ownership of outcomes (i.e. no other carbon program)
Rates	Rates change annually, please see NRCS District Conservationist for rate information. Higher rates available for historically underserved producers	Rates change annually, please see NRCS District Conservationist for rate information.	Rates vary by practice, please contact TWF for rate information	$20 - $10/acre Rates vary by enrollment in federally funded programs/previous practices	$25/acre for the first year $15/acre for the second year $10/acre for the third year	$25/acre	$28+/acre based on outcomes generated by implementation of new practice
Time to Payment	Sign contract 1-12 months after application Payment after local verification (varies by office)	Payments are typically issued annually after approval of the conservation plan	Payments are issued after invoice is provided	Payments are issued annually, after cover crops are planted	Checks will go to farmers from NFWF after verification in the following spring or summer	Two payments: 75% after contract is signed, and historical data/shapefiles/proof of cover crop seeding are provided; 25% once beans have been delivered to LDC Claypool	25% is paid prior to verification, and 75% is paid afterwards in the spring
Contract Length	Typically 3 or 5 years, up to 10 years.	5 years	Varies with practice (e.g. cover crop contracts are 1 year, filter strips contracts are 10 years)	1 year	3 years	1 year	1 year
Renewability	Not renewable	New cost list each year. Renewability not guaranteed each year.	Cover crops are renewable for up to 3 years. Permanent practices will recieve a one time payment, and farmers are eligible to apply for future payments for new conservation projects.	Complete enrollment and sign contract yearly. No automatic renewal.	The transition incentive payment is to offset start-up costs. Exisiting cover crop acres may be eligible for a one-time payment of $2/acre	No limits on renewals	Renewable up to 10 years
Deadlines	Application are always accepted on a rolling basis. Applications are typically due by early December to be considered for the following calendar year. Must sign up before implementing practice	December 5, 2025	Application are always accepted on a rolling basis. Acres are first come, first served Cover crops: priority is given to first time adopters	Acres are first come, first served. Enrollment deadline is typically in September.	Sign up for enrollment notification at FSH website! Enrollment is expected to open again in March 2026	Sign contract (Sept 2025 - Dec 2026) with LDC Enroll and seed enrolled acres to a cover crop in fall 2025	Acres are first come, first served. 2025 Enrollment is now complete. 2026 Enrollment will begin in June/July 2026. Must sign up before implementing practice
Lead Organization	USDA-NRCS	USDA NRCS	The Watershed Foundation	ADM re:generations	Farmers for Soil Health, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Soy Checkoff, Pork Checkoff, National Corn Growers Association, Indiana Agriculture Nutrient Alliiace	Louis Dreyfus Company	AgOutcomes, a subsidiary of Iowa Soybean Association
Table updated March 23, 2026. Please navigate to program website or reach out to Kosciusko County SWCD Staff for the most up-to-date information.