This bill establishes two new programs to encourage farmers to adopt conservation practices. The main program, called the Good Steward Cover Crop program, provides additional premium subsidies of $5 per acre to farmers who plant cover crops—such as grasses, legumes, or other vegetation—on their land while also maintaining crop insurance on their primary crops. The program begins in 2023 and is funded with $60 million in fiscal year 2024, increasing to $84 million by 2028. The bill also creates a separate soil health pilot program that offers additional insurance subsidies to farmers using innovative soil management practices like conservation crop rotations, to be tested across selected counties through partnerships with private insurance companies. The legislation requires the Department of Agriculture to conduct outreach to all farmers, especially underserved producers, and to report annually to Congress on participation rates and whether cover crop practices actually reduce insurance claims and stabilize crop yields.
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