Farmers for Soil Health

Farmers for Soil Health is sponsored by Farmers for Soil Health. Farmers for Soil Health offers financial assistance and technical support to farmers for planting cover crops.

Homepage - Farmers for Soil Health Enhance Soil Health in Your Fields 2026 Enrollment Is Now Closed The 2026 enrollment period has closed, and with enrollment applications representing over one million acres, we want to thank everyone who has made this year’s program such a success. We’re thankful to all of the producers across the 20 participating states who enrolled acres in this year’s program.

We also want to recognize our team of state technical advisors for their excellent work and passion for helping farmers succeed. This year’s enrollment represents another step toward healthier soils and more resilient farming operations for generations to come.

The Grow Down on Soil Health Check out our podcast, The Grow Down on Soil Health , where we dive deep into sustainable farming practices designed to enhance both your land and your bottom line. Hear industry experts from all walks of agricultural life, such as regenerative agriculture veterans, agronomists and soil health researchers, as they share soil health management techniques they’ve learned along the way.

The mission of Farmers for Soil Health is to increase farmer adoption of soil health improvement practices by providing educational aids, outreach materials, and financial resources for the state commodity groups and other partners.

Our vision is to inspire farmers to adopt soil health improvement practices, such as planting cover crops, through outreach, education, incentive payments, and word-of-mouth, increasing the number of cover crop acres to 30 million U.S. acres by 2030. As farmers, we are committed to being good stewards of the land.

The following 20 states are eligible to participate in the Farmers for Soil Health AMP Partnership: Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Our primary objective is to equip farmers with the necessary tools, resources and support to assist them in implementing and maintaining soil health improvement practices in their operations. Farmers for Soil Health offers financial assistance of $35 per acre, per year, for planting cover crops on up to 2,000 acres. Contracts can be renewed annually for the duration of the Farmers for Soil Health program.

Dedicated and knowledgeable technical advisors guide enrolled farmers through every step of program registration, cover crop implementation, and verification. Data is an integral part of measuring success. Farmers for Soil Health monitors progress through: Implementation of a GIS mapping system and farmer audits to track traceable metrics.

Assessment of cover crop acreage using data from the NASS Census of Agriculture. Evaluation of soil loss utilizing information from the National Resources Inventory. The Soy Checkoff, Pork Checkoff and National Corn Growers Association lead Farmers for Soil Health.

This program is made possible with special support from: The Sustainability Consortium The National Association of Conservation Districts The University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture The National Center for Appropriate Technology’s ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Program (NCAT-ATTRA) Best Management Practices for Fall Grazing Cover Crops Tips from producers who have fall grazed cover crops for two or more years.

How to Measure Cover Crop Success Read this article featuring Rob Myers, Ph. D. , for ways farmers can determine the effectiveness of cover crops.

Getting to Know Soil Health Indicators Learn about common indicators of soil health. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.