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Chapter 4
Direct .checks .could . .
ignite .cover .crop .
surge; .crop .insurance .
may .play .role, .too
By .Philip .Brasher .and .Noah .Wicks
he Biden administration is betting
big that farmers across the coun-
Ttry can be enticed to start growing
cover crops by the combination of direct
payments and the development of carbon
markets that could turn the conserva-
tion practice into a long-term source of
revenue.
The $1.7 trillion Build Back Better bill
that Democrats are vowing to enact in
some form would authorize payments
of $25 an acre over five years to farmers
who plant cover crops.
The payments would would induce farm-
ers to plant more than 50 million acres of
cover crops by 2026, according to a Sen-
ate aide familiar with the Congressional
Budget Office’s analysis of the plan. That
would be three to four times as many
acres currently reported to USDA.
The payments would help farmers scale
up the practice and eventually qualify for
new revenue streams from carbon credits
or premiums for commodities such as
corn that qualify as low-carbon.
Central .Iowa .farmer .Noah .Wendt .examines .his .cover .crops .
www.Agri-Pulse.com 37
