By Alejandro Plastina, Wendiam Sawadgo, and Emmanuel Okonkwo
Using county-level data from the 2022, 2017, and 2012 US Census of Agriculture (USDA 2014; 2019; 2024a), this article sheds light on the patterns of adoption and disadoption of cover crops and no-till in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, which jointly accounted for 19% of the value of crop production in the Unit-ed States from 2017 to 2022 (USDA 2024b). Over that period, cover crop adoption decelerated substantially with respect to the previous five years, and no-till area stagnated in the I-states.
Deceleration in cover crop adoption
In 2022, cover crops were planted in 3,152,118 acres in the I-states, equivalent to 5.1% of their total cropland area (table 1), with high variability in the intensity of adoption across counties, ranging from 0.5% in Menard County, Illinois, to 42.1% in Brown County, Indiana (figure 1). Iowa planted 1,282,608 acres, Indiana 988,282 acres, and Illinois 881,228 acres. The region more than doubled its area under cover crops between 2012 and 2017, with most of the increase taking place in Iowa (593,498 acres), followed by Indiana (389,521 acres), and Illinois (343,179 acres). However, regional growth in cover-cropped area between 2017 and 2022 only amounted to 535,084 acres, or 40.6% of the growth during 2012–2017. The net increase in cover crop area during 2017–2022 occurred mostly in Iowa (309,496 acres), followed by Illinois (173,424 acres), and Indiana (52,164 acres).
| Conservation Practice & State | Adoption Ratea | Disadoption 2017–2022 | Net Change in Area | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2022 | 2012–2022 | |||||||
| No. of Counties | Percentb of Counties | Change in Acres | Acres | Percent of Croplanda | Acres | Percent of Croplanda | ||
| Cover Crops | ||||||||
| Illinois | 3.8% | 32 | 32.0% | -57,248 | 173,424 | 0.8% | 560,924 | 2.4% |
| Indiana | 7.9% | 41 | 44.6% | -160,561 | 52,164 | 0.4% | 389,229 | 3.1% |
| Iowa | 5.0% | 21 | 21.2% | -36,676 | 309,496 | 1.2% | 902,994 | 3.5% |
| Total I-States | 5.1% | 94 | 32.3% | -254,485 | 535,084 | 0.9% | 1,853,147 | 3.0% |
| No-Till | ||||||||
| Illinois | 28.1% | 54 | 52.9% | -611,025 | -32,152 | -0.1% | 386,944 | 1.7% |
| Indiana | 37.7% | 56 | 60.9% | -553,854 | -176,814 | -1.4% | -226,031 | -1.8% |
| Iowa | 32.7% | 43 | 43.4% | -379,509 | 256,262 | 1.0% | 1,501,625 | 5.8% |
| Total I-States | 32.0% | 153 | 52.2% | -1,544,388 | 47,296 | 0.1% | 1,662,538 | 2.7% |
The rate of adoption of cover crops, calculated as the ratio of cover crop area to total 2022 cropland acres (to eliminate the effect of changes in cropland acres through time from the comparison), in-creased between 2017 and 2022 from 3.8% to 5.0% in Iowa, from 3.1% to 3.8% in Illinois, and from 7.5% to 7.9% in Indiana. Total cropland acres are calculated as the sum of planted (e.g., harvested, pastured, and failed) and not planted (e.g., summer fallow and idle) acres.
An analysis of changes in adoption rates by county indicates that 94 counties out of the 291 counties in the I-states for which data are available (32.3%) experienced declines in their rates of adoption, or disadoption, totaling 254,485 acres between 2017 and 2022 (table 1 and figure 2). The biggest gain in cover cropped area (17,109 acres) occurred in Mahaska County, Iowa, and the largest drop (-21,274 acres) was observed in Kosciusko County, Indiana.
Between 2017 and 2022, 41 counties in Indiana experienced a total net attrition in cover crop area of 160,561 acres, equivalent to 47.6% of the state cover crop area expansion during the previous five years (table 1). In Illinois, 32 counties reduced their cover cropped area by 57,248 acres, equivalent to 14.8% of the area gains in that state over 2012–2017. In Iowa, 21 counties experienced a total decline of 36,676 acres, equivalent to 6.2% of the area gains over the previous five years.
No-till area stagnates
In 2022, no-tillage systems were implemented on 19,618,394 acres in the I-states, or 32.0% of their total cropland area and only 47,297 more acres than in 2017. Not only the intensity of adoption varied widely across counties (ranging from 4.2% in Winnebago County, Iowa, to 75.7% in Washington County, Indiana), but also total net adoption differed substantially across states (figure 3). Iowa increased no-till usage by 256,262 acres between 2017 and 2022, bringing its total no-till area to 8,452,461 acres, equivalent to 32.7% of its cropland area (table 1). Indiana and Illinois experienced a drop in their no-till areas of 176,814 and 32,152 acres, respectively, reducing their adoption rates from 39.1% and 28.2% in 2017 to 37.7% and 28.1% in 2022. Between 2012 and 2022, Indiana saw its no-till area decline by 226,031 acres, with 78.2% of the decline occurring over the second half of the decade.
An analysis of changes in adoption rates by county indicates that 153 counties out of the 293 counties in the I-states for which there is complete data (52.2%) experienced disadoption (figure 4). The biggest gain in no-till area (40,066 acres) occurred in Jasper County, Indiana, and the largest drop (-38,325 acres) was observed in Hancock County, Illinois.
In Indiana, 56 counties experienced a total reduction in no-till area of 553,854 acres between 2017 and 2022, equivalent to 11.3% of the total state area in no-till in 2017. In Illinois, 54 counties reduced their no-till area by 611,025 acres, equivalent to 9.4% of the state’s no-till area in 2017. In Iowa, 43 counties experienced a total decline of 379,509 acres, equivalent to 4.6% of the state’s no-till area in 2017.
Concluding remarks
In light of the imminent discussion of the next Farm Bill and the ongoing efforts by USDA to design and implement climate-smart agriculture and forestry policies, this article highlights the deceleration in cover crop adoption and the stagnation of no-till area in the I-states between 2017 and 2022, and sheds light on the non-permanence of those practices. Policymakers, researchers, extension professionals, and other stakeholders in the private sector interested in increasing the net adoption of conservation practices should consider these trends in designing their future plans.
References
US Department of Agriculture. 2014. 2012 Census of Agriculture. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service.
US Department of Agriculture. 2019. 2017 Census of Agriculture. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service.
US Department of Agriculture. 2024a.2022 Census of Agriculture. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service.
US Department of Agriculture. 2024b. Farm Income and Wealth Statistics. Economic Research Service. Washington, D.C., February 7.
Suggested citation
Plastina, A., W. Sawadgo, and E. Okonkwo. 2024. “Cover Crop Adoption Decelerates and No-till Area Stagnates in the I-States.” Agricultural Policy Review, Winter 2024. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University. https://agpolicyreview.card.iastate.edu/winter-2024/cover-crop-adoption-decelerates-and-no-till-area-stagnates-i-states.