NSAC's Blog


CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM SIGNUP BEGINS JANUARY 31, 2022

January 28, 2022

For more than 35 years, the Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has paid farmers and landowners to take highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive lands out of crop production and enroll them instead in conserving practices. CRP signups begin January 31, 2022.

Release: NRCS Announces Improvements to CSP and EQIP

January 11, 2022

Yesterday, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) made a series of changes to its premier conservation programs to better support farmers’ ability to face climate change.

New Pandemic Cover Crop Program is a First Step

June 9, 2021

Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new Pandemic Cover Crop Program (PCCP), which will offer a $5 per acre premium discount to producers who planted qualifying cover crops during the 2021 crop year and enrolled in eligible federal crop insurance policies. The PCCP is administered by the Risk Management Agency […]

$15 Million Available for Conservation Innovation Grants

May 21, 2020

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently announced the availability of $15 million for the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. This is in addition to the $25 million announced in March for on-farm trials. This funding announcement is the traditional CIG option that has been offered in the past and is referred to as […]

USDA Updates Options for Cover Crop Termination

July 17, 2019

Cover crops are a critical tool that farmers can use to improve soil health, reduce erosion, retain moisture, and suppress weeds. Especially as farmers are up against devastating floods, drought, and unpredictable weather and pressures, cover crop adoption is an essential practice to build resilient systems and mitigate risk. Despite these clear benefits for risk […]

Difficult Planting and Cover Crop Decisions Compounded by Policy Uncertainty

June 27, 2019

Heavy, consistent rain and flooding so far this year have significantly obstructed planting for farmers in the Midwest and throughout the country. For farmers who cannot plant, there are a variety of options (including planting cover crops), but in some cases the details remain murky – complicating farmers’ planting decisions. This blog briefly discusses those […]

Iowa Cover Crop Initiative Offers “Good Farmer Discount” on Crop Insurance

December 5, 2017

Editor’s Note: This blog is a guest post written by Ann Y. Robinson, Agriculture Policy Director for the Iowa Environmental Council, an NSAC member organization. Cover crops are catching on in Iowa. Over the last decade, farmers in the state have significantly increased the acreage of cover crops; as of 2016 an estimated ​6​00,000 acres […]

Farmer Input Needed for 2017 National Cover Crop Survey

April 20, 2017

Calling all farmers! Whether you’ve been a longtime cover crop user, considered cover crops but haven’t yet made the leap, or have never even heard of cover crops, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program needs your input for their National Cover Crop Survey. For the fifth year in a row, the United State’s Department […]

Unified Support for Conservation as Good Farming Practice Needed at USDA

December 16, 2016

Every farmer with crop insurance knows they need to comply with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Good Farming Practices (GFP) standard in order to maintain their coverage. Under guidelines established by USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), farmers must undertake all the “generally recognized practices” that will give their crops the best chance to reach […]

Cover Crop Survey Reflects Enthusiasm for the Soil Saving Practice

August 2, 2016

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program recently released the results of its 2015 – 2016 Cover Crop Survey, which assessed the benefits, challenges, and growth of cover crops, as well as demand for cover crop seed across the United States. For the fourth year in a row, the SARE survey […]