The Barton County Conservation District, in
cooperation with the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, will host a sign-up
event on Monday, July 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to assist farmers with applications
for cover crop transition programs. These programs provide technical and financial
assistance to reduce risk involved in adding cover crops to an existing rotation.
Conservation experts will be available to answer questions. Programs will include but
will not be limited to Farmers for Soil Health and Re:generations.
Farmers for Soil Health is designed for fields with soybeans and corn in rotation.
Numerous other commodity crops, including wheat, may be part of these rotations, but
beans and corn are a must. National partners include the National Corn Growers
Association, United Soybean Board, National Pork Board, National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation, and numerous local partners including the Kansas Soil Health Alliance,
KACD, the Kansas Soybean Association and the Kansas Corn Commission.
Technical Assistance will be provided by Heartland Soil Services.
Re:generations Initiative requires wheat in its rotation profile. Payments will be made
for cover crop transition, in addition to add-on payments for wheat production. This
program is presented by ADM and partners. KACD provides technical assistance.
“Several farmers in Barton and neighboring counties have transitioned to cover crops
in recent years to suppress weeds, retain moisture and protect soil from wind and rain
erosion,” Veronica Coons, BCCD Manager said. “We’re seeing positive results from
these fields. Farmers report decreased inputs and better yields. Drought is a factor,
but we’re finding that a living root in the ground provides more benefit overall than
naked ground with no live root.”
Since 2022 when the USDA began the Climate-Smart Commodities program, many
programs have been introduced, each with unique requirements and payments. The
goal of the BCCD cover crop sign up day is to share technical assistance, provide
information to compare programs and determine which of the available programs will
be the best fit. Same day sign-up, as well as instruction for self-sign-up will be
available. Deadlines for sign-up are typically in late summer, and reporting
requirements vary.
Some programs set a specific number of acres they will sign-up in eligible states, so
popular programs fill up faster than others, Coons said. Other factors to take into
consideration including ability to stack payments from a cover crop program and other
local, state, or federal conservation contracts. Depending on the conservation plan,
stacking payments can add up to significant savings, absorbing much of the risk of
giving cover crops a try.
Assistance will be available from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, July 8, in the
conference room at the USDA office at 926 S. Patton Road in Great Bend. Contact
the Barton County Conservation District for more information if needed at 620-792-
3346 ext. 303.
