PCM awarded grant to expand farmer-led conservation

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Precision Conservation Management has been selected as a recipient of funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Partners Program, part of $8.7 million awarded nationwide to support on-the-ground conservation efforts.

“Conservation adoption at scale doesn’t happen in isolation,” said Greg Goodwin, PCM director. “This support from NFWF helps cover the cost of technical assistance required to help farmers adopt new practices, and it makes our work with other partners go even further by reducing overhead costs that can limit a program’s reach.”

PCM was created in 2015 by the Illinois Corn Growers Association in response to the state’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

The Advancing Conservation Tillage and Nutrient Management for Water Quality and Habitat grant to ICGA totaled $1 million, plus matching funds of $1.2 million.

The grant is for the continued delivery of the PCM program for corn, soybean and wheat farmers in 32 counties in Illinois to increase the adoption of cover crops, no-till, strip-till, reduced-till and nutrient management.

“The project will result in 140 farmers receiving technical assistance, with 60 farmers enrolling more than 45,000 acres in NRCS programs, to adopt conservation practices that improve water quality and soil health,” according to NFWF.

The program features boots-on-the-ground with eight PCM conservation specialists across a large part of Illinois who provide one-on-one technical support to farmers in their region. PCM is also available in parts of Nebraska and Kentucky.

Farmers who sign up to PCM receive $750 — $500 to start and an additional $250 after 12 months — in compensation for their time.

There are additional cost-share financial incentives through PepsiCo for cover crops, nitrogen reduction and reduced tillage; Farmers for Soil Health’s pay-for-practice cover crop program; and in Illinois counties eligible for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program.

PCM is supported by more than 30 organizations with a vested interest in improving the sustainability of commercial agriculture.

$15.1 Million Impact

The NFWF grants will generate $6.4 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $15.1 million.

The grants were awarded through the Conservation Partners Program, a partnership between NFWF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, The J.M. Smucker Co., PepsiCo and General Mills.

“Across the country, private landowners help safeguard some of the most valuable fish and wildlife habitats through active stewardship and conservation,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF.

“These awards reinforce a shared commitment to voluntary stewardship and to supporting landowners and producers as they sustain agricultural productivity, keep working lands working and conserve working landscapes for wildlife.”

Staff Support

The projects supported by the 12 grants will hire or support field professionals to provide training to private landowners, equipping them with the tools needed to conserve, maintain and restore natural resources on their lands, implement sound management practices and access financial assistance through farm bill conservation programs.

Projects will also provide training to producers about regenerative agriculture systems and how they can adopt these practices to benefit their land and way of life.

The 12 funded projects will address resource concerns in the Great Lakes Basin, Great Plains, Upper Mississippi River Basin and Western Grazing Lands.

Grants will fund technical assistance to agricultural producers to plan and implement a range of practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, grazing management, irrigation improvement, riparian habitat enhancements and conservation easements.

Collectively, projects will develop at least 1,900 management plans to improve conservation on more than 490,000 acres nationwide and enable producers to access critical financial assistance through farm bill conservation programs provided by NRCS.

Since 2011, the Conservation Partners Program has awarded 333 grants worth more than $93 million and leveraged an additional $94 million in matching contributions, generating a total conservation investment of more than $188 million.