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Last updated on Thursday, August 7, 2014
(DUBOIS CO.) - The Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District is accepting applications for their cover crop cost share program.
The incentive payments available through the cost share program are for crop ground in Dubois County. Applications are being accepted until September 30, 2014.
Cover crops, such as cereal grains, radishes, and clover, are typically sown before the end of September. Cover crops protect the ground from erosion during the winter months. They also hold valuable nutrients, such as nitrogen, and keep it from washing into our waterways. Finally, cover crop roots assist in breaking up compaction in the soil, creating more favorable planting conditions in the spring.
The SWCD is offering three different payment rates. The payment rates for a diverse cover crop mix that includes at least one broadleaf and one legume species will be $20 per acre for aerial application, or $15 per acre for any other method of application. Both payments will be made for a maximum of 75 acres. In addition, the SWCD will be offering a cost share payment of $10 per acre for any single cover crop species or grain. The single species payment will be capped at 50 acres.
In order to qualify for the program, landowners must either aerially apply the seed or broadcast or drill the seed into the land using no-till or vertical tillage practices. Conventional tillage is not allowed in this program. Additionally, applicants must agree to no-till their spring 2015 cash crops into these fields. Harvesting the cover crops for forage is not allowed.
The cost share program is being offered thanks to a clean water Indiana (CWI) grant received by the SWCD from the State of Indiana. This is the fourth CWI grant the SWCD has received for cover crop cost share. The current grant received by the SWCD is valid for three years and will guarantee cost share will be available for cover crops for Dubois County landowners through 2014.
For complete details on the program, call the SWCD office at 812-482-1171, Extension 3. Complete details of the program and the application are also on our website at www.duboisswcd.org. Applications are available at the SWCD office at 1486 Executive Blvd, Suite A, Jasper.
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