Incentive programs promote cover crop adoption in the northeastern United States

Farmers are increasingly planting cover crops to improve soil health and provide other ecosystem services. Cover crop incentive programs in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont were compared and farmers using cover crops were surveyed (n = 328) to characterize program participants and assess the effects of programs on cover crop adoption. Farmers who participated in incentive programs differed from nonparticipants in their perspectives about incentive programs, challenges they faced using cover crops, and reasons for cover crop use. When averaged across farmers, results show that incentive programs doubled average farmer cropland with cover crops from 50.7 ha prior to participation to 101.0 ha during participation. Among participants who no longer were enrolled in a program, cover crop use remained on average 37.2% greater than before enrollment. Results highlight the role of incentive programs in facilitating adoption and provide insights for expanding participation to different farmers and increasing program impact.