Illinois NLRS Program and Project Narratives

In summer 2019, the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts hosted four regional Soil Health and Cover Crop workshops in Sycamore, Galesburg, Decatur, and Mt. Vernon, with 136 total attendees. The sessions aimed to promote cover crop adoption and soil health practices among Illinois agricultural producers through a cover crop insurance rewards program. Workshops brought together Soil and Water Conservation District directors and staff to support implementation and outreach efforts statewide.

Precision Conservation Management (PCM), launched in 2016 by ICGA and ISA, helps farmers adopt conservation practices while maintaining profitability. Working with over 350 farmers and 30+ partners, PCM provides one-on-one support, data-driven insights, and financial guidance. Its platform analyzes environmental and economic impacts across 825,000 acres. From 2019–2020, PCM practices reduced nutrient and sediment losses significantly, including 1.2 million lbs of nitrate-N and 250,000 tons of sediment.

In 2020, the Illinois Corn Growers Association used a grant from the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices to conduct a targeted awareness campaign promoting conservation lease addendums developed with University of Illinois Farmdoc. These customizable addendums help tenants and landowners incorporate nutrient management, soil health, and conservation habitat practices into farm leases. Outreach through mailings, media campaigns, and webinars reached tens of thousands and resulted in more than 2,000 unique views of the addendums on the Farmdoc website.

Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources, STAR, is a free nationwide tool to assist farm operators and landowners in evaluating their nutrient and soil loss management practices on individual fields. STAR’s goal is to encourage the continued adoption of conservation practices and recognize farmers for their commitment to improved water quality and soil health. For more information, see www.starfreetool.com