Cost-share

Pennsylvania Cover Crop & Nutrient Management Support Program

The Nature Conservancy (with Precision Sustainable Agriculture, USDA NRCS, Willard Agri-Service and GROWMARK FS)

What you can get

Up to $80 per acre • Cover crop cost-share of up to $80/acre, plus a yield warranty of up to $50/acre reimbursed if participating reduces income. • Also included at no cost to the farmer: PlantMap3D cover crop mapping after spring termination, nutrient management planning services, and technical assistance on seed mixes, seeding rates and timing. Financial assistance is available for sidedress application activities whether the farmer or an agribusiness partner does the work. Funded through a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) award from USDA NRCS. Willard Agri-Service or GROWMARK FS scan the terminated cover crop with PlantMap3D cameras on a spray rig; partners turn that imagery into variable-rate sidedress nitrogen maps that credit the nitrogen the cover crop supplied.

Readiness: Local office first
Who can apply: producer, Pennsylvania farmers whose ground sits inside the project area of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (TNC publishes the boundary as a downloadable map; western PA counties draining to the Ohio are outside it). Farm must be eligible for USDA NRCS Farm Bill programs such as EQIP or CSP, must have an established mixed species cover crop that includes a legume and will be terminated in spring 2027, and must have — or be willing to develop — a current Nutrient Management Plan for the enrolled acres. The program is built around multi species cover crops and the corn crop that follows them.
Coverage: PA
Deadline & timing: No application deadline is posted. Enrollment starts with an interest form and TNC follows up to confirm eligibility. The requirement that the cover crop be terminated in spring 2027 effectively ties the current round to a cover crop seeded in fall 2026, so the practical window is this fall rather than an open-ended one. Confirm timing with TNC before counting on it.
Eligibility: Only farms inside The Nature Conservancy's Chesapeake Bay project area in Pennsylvania qualify; the boundary map is on the program page and western counties draining to the Ohio are outside it. The farm must be eligible for NRCS Farm Bill programs, have a multi-species cover crop including a legume that will be terminated in spring 2027, and have or develop a nutrient management plan for the enrolled acres.

soil healthcover cropnutrient managementwater quality

Visit official program

Optional expert service · $249

Turn program research into an application package.

An eligibility screen against your farm details, matched cost-share programs ranked by fit with ranking dates, pre-drafted practice justifications, and a document checklist through submission. Delivered within 7 business days after intake.

Last verified Sep 9, 2026. Always confirm current terms and deadlines on the official site before applying.

Plan your next step

Run a quick soil assessment or ask an agronomist how this program fits your fields.

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Pennsylvania Cover Crop & Nutrient Management Support Program

The Nature Conservancy (with Precision Sustainable Agriculture, USDA NRCS, Willard Agri-Service and GROWMARK FS)

What you can get

Readiness

Local office first

Who can apply

producer, Pennsylvania farmers whose ground sits inside the project area of the Chesapeake Bay watershed (TNC publishes the boundary as a downloadable map; western PA counties draining to the Ohio are outside it). Farm must be eligible for USDA NRCS Farm Bill programs such as EQIP or CSP, must have an established mixed species cover crop that includes a legume and will be terminated in spring 2027, and must have — or be willing to develop — a current Nutrient Management Plan for the enrolled acres. The program is built around multi species cover crops and the corn crop that follows them.

Coverage

Deadline & timing

No application deadline is posted. Enrollment starts with an interest form and TNC follows up to confirm eligibility. The requirement that the cover crop be terminated in spring 2027 effectively ties the current round to a cover crop seeded in fall 2026, so the practical window is this fall rather than an open-ended one. Confirm timing with TNC before counting on it.

Eligibility