The Illinois Department of Agriculture is launching the eighth year of its Fall Covers for Spring Savings program, offering farmers a discount on their 2027 crop insurance premiums for planting cover crops.

A total of 190,000 acres are available for the 2026-2027 program. Funding of eligible acreage is on a first-come, first-served basis. Over the last seven years, the program has funded 890,000 acres of cover crops, the department said.

Eligible applicants will receive a discount of up to $5 per acre on their 2027 crop insurance premium, depending on their individual crop insurance policies, for each verified cover crop acre. The program applies to Illinois acres seeded to cover crops in the fall of 2026 and planted to an insurable crop in 2027.

Key dates

  • Pre-enrollment opens: 8 a.m. CST, Monday, November 30, 2026
  • Program opens (applications can be submitted): 8 a.m. CST, Tuesday, December 15, 2026
  • Program closes: 11:59 p.m. CST, Friday, January 15, 2027

Participants can enter and validate their information during the pre-enrollment period. Entries may be saved and edited any time before submission.

How to apply

Applicants must certify their cover crops with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office before applying, and have their current FSA-578 and federal crop insurance policy number(s) ready.

The program encourages cover crop acres not supported by other state or federal incentives, and applicants are advised to review the program rules page to check eligibility. It is only applicable for those with coverage through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (USDA-RMA) crop insurance program. Approved applications will be forwarded to the USDA-RMA for processing and premium discounts on 2027 crop insurance invoices.

Pre-enrollment and applications are available at apps.agr.illinois.gov/BLWR_CoverCrop/ or by following the program link on the IDOA website at agr.illinois.gov. For questions, call IDOA at (217) 782-6297.

"The Fall Covers for Spring Savings cover crop premium discount program helps farmers lower their crop insurance costs while improving soil health, reducing erosion and enhancing long term land productivity," said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. "It's a practical way to strengthen both environmental stewardship and farm profitability at the same time."

Source: the original release