Farmers in the US are being paid up to €25/ac by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) company to plant cover crops on their farms.

On a visit to ADM in Decatur, Illinois, in the US this week, the Irish Farmers Journal heard that the company has signed up almost 2,000 farmers and two million acres in North America to implement regenerative farming practices on their farms, which encourage them to improve soil health, increase biodiversity and improve water quality. Three and a half million acres across 3,000 farms have signed up to the project globally, with big increases in areas in Poland, the UK, Brazil and India in the past year.

The company sees regenerative farming as an important selling point for products in the future and so is investing in the project now, gathering data and examining what practices work best on certain farms.

In the US, farmers may plant cover crops on their land. They are paid between $10-25/ac for this action, depending on factors like region and crops.