Increasing the Use of Cover Crops

Enroll in a first-of-its-kind cost-share program

May 07, 2025

The Nature Conservancy wants to make it easier for interested producers to plant cover crops.

TNC is working with select equipment dealers and the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to achieve this goal by offering cost share on approved equipment that allows cover crops to be inter-seeded or planted as a multi-task, such as with combine mounted or minimum till mounted cover crop seeders. This equipment cost share opportunity is the first of its kind in Kentucky.

A red cone shaped flowering cover crop on a farm. — **Cover crop** Crimson clover and other species are used as cover crops. © Zach Luttrell

How to be eligible

To receive funding, the participant must:

operate on a minimum of 500 row crop acres.
be located in Union, Henderson, Webster, Daviess, McLean, Ohio, Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Christian, Todd and/or Logan counties.
enter into a Buyer Agreement for Cost Share with TNC that includes but is not limited to terms to not re-sell equipment through 2028, to use reasonable effort to use cost shared equipment to plant cover crops, and to annually report data related to cover crop planting.

Participant Benefits

Selected producers receive equipment cost share of up to 70% on approved equipment with a $15,000 cost share cap.
Producers receive technical support from knowledgeable equipment dealers.

Contact Zach Luttrell, Director of Agriculture for TNC in Kentucky and TNC in Tennessee, zachary.luttrell@tnc.org, with questions or to learn how to apply for funding.