Report: Crop Insurance and Conservation Practices Healthy Marriage

OVERLAND PARK, KS – Crop insurance is not acting as a barrier to the adoption of conservation practices and has a role in helping farmers maintain healthy soil according to a new peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Environmental Management.

Researchers from Purdue University, Arizona State University, and the Nature Conservancy used interviews and a multi-state survey to determine if crop insurance requirements limited cover crops and conservation tillage for corn producers in the Midwest.

Conservation tillage and cover crops were specifically studied because, according to the researchers, these practices reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and promote soil health.

The study noted that the federal Risk Management Agency, in the 2018 Farm Bill, designated cover crops planted in 2020 and later as a Good Farming Practice – a distinction that should help further promote the conservation practice.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)