Indiana Cover Crop Premium Discount Program

The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), The Nature Conservancy, and USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) offer first-time cover-crop users a $5-per-acre discount on the following year's crop-insurance premium for up to 750 acres that are enrolled and verified. The discount is tied to the acre, not the person (two landowners split the $5), and applies only to cover-crop acres not already enrolled in another state or federal cover-crop incentive. The discount is applied through the normal crop-insurance premium process via USDA-RMA.

Indiana producers planting cover crops on eligible acres located fully within a covered watershed (see the annual county coverage map), targeted to first-time cover-crop users. Up to 750 acres per crop-insurance ID/number. Fields enrolled in another cost-share program are not eligible; full-width fall tillage/termination of the cover crop is not allowed (spring management per USDA-NRCS termination guidelines).

This is a per-acre rate, not a lump-sum award: "$5 per acre on verified acres," delivered as a premium discount on the following year's crop insurance invoice rather than as a payment from the state.

Cap: "750-acre cap per crop insurance ID/number."

The discount is tied to the acre, not the person — "example: two land owners must split $5 discount."

How it is paid: "Funding will be provided through RMA as an additional insurance premium discount through normal crop insurance processes." Confirmed applications are forwarded to USDA-RMA for processing on the crop insurance premium invoice. The premium reduction is applied based on the acreage report filed for federal crop insurance, so "ensuring the field designations match is mandatory to receiving the premium discount."

Exclusions: "Only acres in cover crops (absent other state or federally incentivized cover crops) will be eligible for the premium discount"; fields not enrolled in another cost-share program are eligible.

Status: "The program has reached its funding capacity for 2026. Applications are no longer being accepted."

Apply via ISDA's online form accompanied by the FSA-578 (Report of Commodities). Pre-enrollment for the 2026 crop opened December 15, 2025. The program has reached funding capacity for 2026 and is not currently accepting applications; enrollment is expected to reopen for the next crop year.