I-COVER Program

Illinois Department of Agriculture

FY2025 Partners for Conservation / I-COVER Program

Program Dates Coming Soon!

Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is implementing its inaugural Infield Conservation for Operationalizing Vital Ecosystem Resilience (I-COVER) Program. The intent of the program is to promote the implementation of cover crops and the adoption of new technologies to implement cover via the Partners for Conservation (PFC) Program using the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) multi-state grant. The I-COVER Program includes a multi-state partnership between Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. 

Users will be able to enter their information into the I-COVER Program application and validate it during a pre-enrollment period. Applications can be submitted once the program opens. Once available, applications can be saved at any time, prior to submittal, and must be completed in full prior to program close to be eligible.

Please check back on this page by the end of January 2025 for program dates and a link to the application.

You may also contact your local Soil and Water Conservation (SWCD) office or the IDOA Bureau of Land and Water Resources at 217-782-6297 or by email at AGR.ICover@Illinois.gov for updates.

Application assistance will be available through your local Soil and Water Conservation (SWCD) office or the IDOA Bureau of Land and Water Resources.

Application requirements include contact information; farm, tract, field, and common land unit (CLU) numbers; and field acres seeded to cover crops in late summer or fall 2025, 2026, and 2027. Selected applicants must also provide a CCC-902, FSA Subsidiary Report and a Producer Farm Data Report or proof of control of land.

The IDOA is offering cost-share/financial incentives through the PFC Program to producers and landowners who seed cover crops in the late summer and fall of 2025. Fields never planted with a cover crop are eligible and those fields previously planted to cover crop are eligible if a new technique or method for earlier establishment is utilized. Only acres not currently enrolled in other state, federal, or private programs to implement cover crops (e.g., EQIP, CSP, Fall Covers for Spring Savings or any other program that may include state or federal funds) are eligible. The program is applicable for acreage seeded to cover utilizing the USDA-NRCS 340 Practice Standard and Midwest Cover Crop Council seeding rates (Selector Tools – Midwest Cover Crops Council). An earlier establishment would be considered overseeding prior to harvest of cash crop using new technology such as, but not limited to, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) or Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs). Traditional methods such as planes and helicopters will be acceptable as long as they are new technologies for seeding cover on that field. If a field has used any of these newer techniques for cover crop establishment, the field is not eligible.

Applications will be selected on a first-come first served basis such that the first application per county will be prioritized, then all remaining applications will be prioritized on a first-come-first-served basis. If program funds are maxed out by selecting the first application per county, an acreage cap may be placed on the selected applications to accommodate at least one application per county. Should that situation arise, the acreage cap amount will be determined at that time. Selected applicants will be assigned to a local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). The local SWCD staff will work with the selected applicant to enter into a 3-year agreement, plan and develop practice job sheets including seed mixes and rates. 

IDOA will verify applications and respective acreage and may contact applicants for additional clarifying information. SWCD staff will check selected applicants USDA Farm Bill eligibility, assist producers with cover crop planning and practice job sheet development, verify practice implementation, and assist with payment and reporting documents. After the cover crop has been seeded and verification has been completed, the SWCD office will notify the IDOA and provide the financial incentive/cost-share payment. Payments will be provided each year and will be issued by the local Soil and Water Conservation District.

Applicants must maintain documentation on cover crops that have been seeded (e.g., seed bills) and utilize Midwest Cover Crop Council - Cover Crop Tool recommendations. This includes seeding dates, appropriate seeding rates and seed mixes to ensure objectives of the cover crop are being met. A cover crop is considered: "a non-grain harvestable, non-insurable conservation/agronomic practice seeded in the fall to protect and improve soil and water quality." To ensure the practice achieves the desired results, no full width tillage/termination of the cover crop in the fall is allowed. Management/termination of the cover crops must be done in the spring in accordance with the most recent version of the USDA-NRCS Cover Crop Termination Guidelines. This guidance not only informs proper management of cover crops but must also be followed to maintain eligibility for federal crop insurance.

Applicants must certify that by signing up for this program, they give IDOA permission to share the information provided for administering the benefit to the beneficiary as documented on the application. Applicants also convey permission to IDOA or SWCD representative(s) access to the property enrolled, if necessary, to verify cover crop establishment.

A link to the application and a How-To Guide will be posted on this page soon. Please check back on this page by the end of January 2025 for updates. You may also reach out to your local Soil & Water Conservation District, or you can contact the IDOA Bureau of Land and Water Resources by email at AGR.ICover@Illinois.gov or call 217-782-6297.

No, but a copy of the CCC-902, FSA Subsidiary Report and Producer Farm Data or proof of control of the land will be needed, if the applicant is selected.

Yes, PA103-00494 requires all state cost share conservation practices to have a soil health field assessment to be eligible to receive a payment. The STAR field form satisfies that requirement. If another soil health field assessment is used, such as soil health sampling, those cost will be incurred by the applicant.

No, but the IDOA encourages all producers to report any cover crop acreage that is planted. 

No, acres signed up through this program cannot be currently enrolled in other state and federal cost-share funding or incentives for implementing cover crops. This program is designed to incentivize additional acres of cover crops beyond those supported by IDOA’s Cover Crop Premium Discount Program and/or USDA-NRCS. However, this program would allow acres in addition to cost-shared acres. For example, if a farmer has 160 acres enrolled in a federal program for cover crops and decides to seed 320 acres of cover crops, the additional 160 acres will be eligible for the Partners for Conservation Program / I-COVER program if applied for and accepted.

IDOA will use a combination of tools to verify acres in cover crops applied for through this program. Applications will be reviewed for overlap in enrollment of other federal and state programs. IDOA will then employ a variety of tools at their discretion. Applicants may be asked to provide further documentation (e.g., seed bills, seeding method, and timing of planting) to confirm applied fields were seeded to cover crops and meet the practice standards.

This sign-up will be for a 3-year term on the same acreage each year. Cover crops are expected to be planted in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Consideration may be given to wheat-rotation farmers. Applicants must have control of land for the life of this program.

The FY25 USDA-NRCS Practices Scenario cost will be used for payment rates for each of the 3 years of the program. Scenario rates vary based on species number and type.

• ·$63.13/acre for one or more cover crop species, winter killed.
• $85.65/acre for single cover crop species, spring terminated.
• $105.40/acre for more than one cover crop species, spring terminated.

A producer can choose the same or a different practice scenario from year to year within the program.  Example: spring terminated in year 1 and 3, and winter kill in year 2. However, the practice scenario(s) that are selected during the application process cannot be changed at a later date.

No, the intent of the program is for soil health. Cover crops could be grazed only if the applicant has an approved NRCS grazing plan to ensure the cover crops soil health functions are not impacted or set back. Harvesting of cover crops will also not be allowed.

Yes, cover crops such as wheat can be cost-shared as long it is used for the purpose of a cover crop and not a cash crop. Participants should consider the impacts of using wheat as a cover crop for crop insurance and the intended primary crop.

Applicants should be sure of which fields will be seeded to cover crops before applying. 

No, the harvest of grain from cover crops is not the intended use of cover crops and would run contrary to federal crop insurance termination deadlines and insurable crop determinations.

If wheat is part of the cash crop rotation, applicants should select “Cover Crop Basic” for the year which cash wheat will be grown in the fall. If the application is selected, the planned cash wheat crop must be disclosed to the SWCD during the planning process. Payments will be skipped for the year cash wheat is grown for harvest.

There is currently no limit on acreage per application. However, if program funds are maxed out by selecting the first application per county, an acreage cap may be placed on the selected applications to accommodate at least one application per county. Should that situation arise, the acreage cap amount will be determined at that time.

Payments for this program are limited to $450,000 per person or legal entity over the term of the contract.  A joint operation (Farm Service Agency Business Type 2 or 3) may have a contract limit of $900,000.  

IDOA has secured $7 million between the State of Illinois and USDA-NRCS for the program.  Contracts with producers will be for 3 continuous years on the same acreage with the IDOA, allocating approximately $2,333,333 per year. IDOA will select applications on a first come, first served basis, such that the first application per county will be prioritized, then all remaining applications will be prioritized on a first come, first served basis, pending qualification and verification of applicants.

No, this program is set up independent from traditional federal programs administered through the USDA-NRCS or USDA-FSA offices. If you need assistance in applying for this program, please consult your local SWCD office staff or the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Bureau of Land and Water Resources at 217-782-6297.

Applicants should consider the terms of the program, their operational needs and crop rotation, and whether land control may be an issue. If an issue should arise, the Department will review on a case-by-case basis. A recovery of cost may be incurred by the applicant.

The local SWCD assigned to the applicant will provide the payment to the applicant.

The goal of the program is to utilize new technologies for earlier establishments of cover crops using drone and robots as examples. During the plan development of the practice, weather risks should also be taken into consideration.

No, unless the carbon program can prove it is not supported by federal or state funds.