In response to the Illinois NLRS, ICGA and ISA developed PCM, ICGA’s premiere nutrient loss reduction program (precisionconservation.org/). PCM is a service program designed to help farmers understand and manage risks associated with adopting new conservation practices, with the objective of helping farmers make sound financial decisions. The program evaluates conservation practices on both their impact to the environment and their impact to family farmer profitability. Through collaborations with more than 30 partners and the development of a farmer-friendly data collection platform, PCM offers one-on-one technical support to over 350 farmers in Illinois and Kentucky. PCM develops confidential yearly reports of each farmer’s environmental and financial strengths and weaknesses, offering data summaries demonstrating average financial and environmental metrics for different management systems represented in its database comprising more than 825,000 acres of Illinois cropland from over 10,000 fields, spanning six years. PCM also offers participating farmers opportunities to receive financial and technical assistance for adopting new conservation practices. For the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons alone, PCM farmers have implemented conservation practices resulting in the following nutrient and sediment loss reductions: almost 1.2 million lb nitrate-nitrogen, over 180,000 lb P, and nearly 250,000 tons of sediment loss reductions. These reductions were achieved due to more than 280,000 acres of reduced tillage, 136,000 acres of in-season nitrogen application, and more than 45,000 acres of cover crops for these two years combined. (Figures 4.27 and 4.28 are the results of PCM research). To learn more about PCM and to see the program summary and 5-year data highlights, visit ilcorn.org/pcm.
