Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will again offer its crop insurance discount program for acres that are planted with cover crops. Farmers and landowners who plant fall cover crops will have the opportunity to apply for a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums. Farmers and landowners will be able to start enrolling in the crop insurance discount program on Dec. 1. “Planting cover crops improves water quality, enhances soil health, produces valuable forage and feed for livestock and yields many other agronomic benefits for farmers,” Naig said in a press release. “Cover crop utilization continues to rise in Iowa, and we want to further accelerate the adoption of this proven water quality practice by offering this crop insurance discount incentive.” To qualify for the program, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service cost share programs.