Role of cost share programs in promoting cover crop adoption: A new perspective

Abstract There has been an increasing amount of funding that promotes cover crop adoption. Utilizing farmer survey data, we found that in contrast to 48% of the early cover crop adopters (10+ years) who used cost share, only 18% of the most recent adopters (<3 years) are cost share users. Compared to adopters with no cost share, those who received a cost share adopted cover crops 2–4 years earlier on average. By altering the adoption decisions of a small group of producers, cost share programs could help build adoption momentum and offer a long‐term solution to sustainable agriculture.