Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources is a free nationwide tool to assist farm operators and landowners in evaluating their nutrient and soil loss
management practices on individual fields. The goal of STAR is to encourage the continued adoption of conservation practices and recognize farmers for their commitment to improved water quality and soil health.
In summer 2022, STAR released the Crop Year 2021 STAR Annual Report. The report features a summary of conservation efforts, environmental impacts, and growth of the STAR initiative. Read the full report on the STAR website at starfreetool.com/news-1 The Crop Year 2022 STAR Annual Report will be released in May/June 2023. Past reports are also available on the website.
In preparation for Crop Year 2022, several updates were made to the STAR Web App to improve the user experience. For the farmer app, a ‘split fields’ function was created to allow farmers and landowners to adjust field boundaries with a few clicks. Additionally, adjustments to the Improvement Plan function were made for more accurate scoring predictions. For the admin/licensee app, the dashboard now displays total acres, fields, and participants enrolled in STAR as a live counter throughout the crop year. Verification and Outcomes summaries will be available by the end of the crop year for each county Soil and Water Conservation District to easily access STAR-estimated outcomes and promote their efforts. The STAR Web App offers farmers and landowners an efficient way to evaluate multiple fields seamlessly on their phones, desktops, or tablets. It allows users to create customized field improvement plans, connect with local resources and technical assistance, and share their STAR Ratings with their online communities with a few simple clicks.
STAR continues to work with partners on projects and find funding opportunities. In spring 2022, USDA opened the Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities funding opportunity. Although Champaign County SWCD’s STAR-focused application was not accepted, STAR affiliate Colorado Department of Agriculture’s application was accepted. Their proposal includes a generous subaward for the CCSWCD to continue building a National STAR support system for STAR Affiliates and partners in and beyond Illinois. Additionally, the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture proposal included funding for the Missouri Association of SWCDs to lift Missouri STAR. STAR looks forward to working with partners to continue expanding STAR’s impact.
Additionally, STAR is piloting a Pay-for-Performance model with a supply chain partner in Macon and Douglas counties (growing to Piatt and Moultrie counties in 2023!) that pays farmers for improved STAR Ratings, or consistent 5-STAR Ratings. We hope that such incentives will grow and be available for more geographic areas in the future as we develop additional partnerships. We hope all farmers participate in STAR now to establish a baseline for potential incentives in the future.
STAR Partners: American Farmland Trust, Archer Daniels Midland, Association of IL SWCD, Champaign County SWCD, Centrec Consulting Group, Champaign County Farmer, CHS, Inc., Coles County SWCD, Colorado Department of Agriculture, Conservation Districts of Iowa, DC Analysis, LLC, DIGS Associates, Illinois Corn Growers Association, Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association, Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council, Illinois Soybean Association, Kankakee County SWCD, McHenry County SWCD, NRCS Illinois, Piatt County Farmer & SWCD, Precision Conservation Management, Terra Economics, LLC, The Nature Conservancy, University of Illinois, University of Illinois Extension, USDA NRCS, Wabash Valley FS.
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