Cover Crops on Illinois Farms

Cover crop use is increasing on U.S. farms, but it remains low. The main reason for low adoption rates is the financial and management challenges of cover crops. Using a unique, field-level dataset from Illinois farms, we find that on average, cover crop fields have a lower operator and land return due to the additional seed, planting, and termination cost. Financial assistance is necessary for cover crop fields to be as profitable as non-cover crop fields. We also consider the carbon sequestration potential of cover crop fields using the Cool Farm Tool and estimate farmer carbon credit payments for cover crops.