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Farmer encourages others to try Practical Farmers of Iowa cover crop cost-share

A participant in a cover crop cost-share program encourages farmers in neighboring states to sign up.

Fred Abels, who farms in eastern Iowa, says Practical Farmers of Iowa offers payment rates of $10 per acre and no acreage cap.

“Pretty much headache-free. You give them your name or your farm name and they go after the maps, and you can indicate where you want to try cover crops or go with cover crops from previous years.”

Farmers in Iowa and parts of Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota are eligible.

Abels tells Brownfield the benefits of cover crops are evident this year.

“I’ve got four soybean fields, and three of them, other then there’s foxtail and volunteer corn coming on, they’re broadleaf-free.”

He says besides weed suppression, cover crops have helped improve soil health and water infiltration.