Illinois governor moves to slash cover crop funds despite rising demand

State moves to slash cover crop funds despite rising demand

Illinois farmers like Steve Stierwalt adopt cover crops to address soil erosion and reduce runoff pollution, protecting valuable farmland.

Growing cover crops to prevent bare fields helps soil and wildlife – study

Research into regenerative agricultural practices found the clearest benefit for minimising bare soil.

Illinois governor moves to slash cover crop funds despite rising demand – Capitol News IL

Gov. JB Pritzker recently proposed an overall $2 billion increase to next year’s state budget. But he also recommended cuts to several programs, including reducing the cover crop insurance credit budget from $960,000 to $660,000. Demand for the Fall Cover for Spring Savings program — which offers a $5 per acre discount on the following year’s crop insurance premiums — has outpaced state funding every year since its inception six years ago.

Illinois governor moves to slash cover crop funds despite rising demand

Despite the program’s popularity and calls from environmentalists and farmers for its funding to increase, Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed a 31% funding cut

Pritzker Goes to Bat for Illinois' Business Climate

Cover crops provide an often-overlooked reduction in soil carbon erosion, study finds - News Service