Illinois Cover Crop Premium Discount Program

This Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) Cover Crop Premium Discount Program is offered for acres of cover crops installed outside of state and federal program incentives (e.g., EQIP, CSP and state cost share). Interested participants may sign-up at for acres planted to cover crops in the fall of 2020 and will be planted to an insurable crop in 2021.  Eligible applicants will receive a $5/acre insurance premium discount on the following year's crop insurance invoice for every acre of cover crop enrolled and verified in the program.

This program is offered for acres of cover crops installed outside of state and federal program incentives (e.g., EQIP, CSP and state cost share), and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis on 50,000 acres across Illinois. This year applicants will be required to certify their cover crops through their local FSA office before applying. Applicants will also need their current FSA-578 and federal crop insurance policy number(s) for the 2021 application process.

Application is online when the program is open.

Please have the following prepared to complete your application

• Applicant Information

• Contact Information

• Farm, Tract, and Field Information

• Files to Attach:

  1. Form FSA 578

• Complete all applicable fields, follow additional instructions and checkoff each of the acknowledgements and signoff

• FAQs are on the bottom of the main description page