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Small grains cost-share program enrollment opens

Funding is available for farmers in five Midwestern states who are planning to seed small-grain crops.

Lydia English, field crops viability manager with Practical Farmers of Iowa, says producers in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin can enroll in PFI’s small grains cost-share program.

“A small grain is something like oats, rye, barley, wheat or triticale,” she said. “We have a program that pays farmers $20 an acre.”

She tells Brownfield small-grain crops help improve soil health.

“It can help break up disease cycles,” English said. “A lot of farmers say their yields for their corn and soybeans actually increase when they take a year off and include a small grain in rotation.”

English says farmers can gain an additional $20 per acre for taking nitrogen credits from their legume cover crop in the corn year of their extended rotation.

The application form can be found on PFI’s website.