The impact of behaviorally informed communications on uptake of a cover crop cost-share program

This paper presents findings from three randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of light-touch, behaviorally informed interventions promoting the uptake of a cover crop cost-share program. Cover cropping can bring many long-term agricultural benefits; however, cover crop adoption in the Midwest region of the United States remains low. Financial incentives such as cost-share programs have been shown to increase cover crop adoption, yet many farmers do not apply to these programs. In partnership with the Practical Farmers of Iowa and a large agriculture co-op, we tested the effectiveness of three light-touch interventions that were designed using principles from behavioral science: email- and text-based farmer referral reminders (Test 1), postcards (Test 2), and letters (Test 3). We also investigated the impact of a raffle incentive for the mailers. Results from Test 1 (Referrals) indicated that while referral reminders increased the frequency of information sharing about the Practical Farmers of Iowa’s cover crop cost-share program, they did not significantly impact successful referrals or enrollment rates. For both Tests 2 (Postcards) and 3 (Letters), we did not observe any statistically significant differences in enrollment rates between experimental groups. However, postcards with a raffle incentive showed a marginally significant effect in prompting earlier enrollment. Understanding the effects and limits of light-touch behavioral interventions provides useful insights that could inform the design and implementation of private programs aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture among midwestern farmers. This study suggests that light-touch communication modes such as email, text messages, and mail may not be the best channels to boost enrollment for private cost-share programs targeting midwestern farmers. Future research could examine other ways to leverage farmer networks in promoting the uptake of programs that incentivize sustainable agricultural practices.