Farmers have until March 15th to make cover crop decisions for 2026. Porter Hay Insurance North Co. agent Derek Clayton shares that since the One Big Beautiful Bill, there have been changes to subsidies tied to many different programs, such as the Enhanced Coverage Option, or E-C-O.
“ECO is a coverage where you can buy up to 95 percent revenue coverage. Now it’s not based upon just your production, it’s based upon the county production,” shares Clayton. “So last year, they increased the subsidy, and it was previously 44 percent, and then by last year, they increased it to 65 percent, and then this year, with the new bill, it’s going to go all the way up to 80 percent. So, a coverage that you would have bought two years ago would have been $32–33. This year, we’re looking at probably $11.”
According to the USDA, ECO follows the coverage of your underlying policy.
