American Farmland Trust develops a Batch and Grow Roadmap to streamline cover crop adoption

MANTENO, Ill. — American Farmland Trust recently published the Batch and Grow Roadmap, a step-by-step guide to help streamline cover crop adoption and scale the Batch and Grow model across the Midwest.

Inspired by the Batch and Build model of structural practice installation piloted in Polk County in central Iowa, Batch and Grow similarly increases efficiency of conservation practice delivery while equips farmer-led groups to design cover crop programs that best suit local needs.

The model relies on the leadership of farmer-led groups who select which cover crop species or mixes to offer, fields to prioritize and service providers to contract.

Enrolled acres are “batched,” and the farmer-led group contracts seed and custom application from a select number of providers, removing several barriers of adoption such as high cost of seed and application and time constraints.

Additionally, farmers benefit from a built-in peer-to-peer network, offering them an opportunity to share their knowledge and for farmers new to cover cropping to ask questions and make informed management decisions.

AFT Midwest Senior Program Manager Julie Larsen was integral to Batch and Grow’s initial launch success.

“The Batch and Grow program has been very successful in advancing cover crop adoption across Illinois. Along the way, we’ve learned valuable lessons from building farmer-led networks and developing a comprehensive program timeline to hiring contractors and using federal funding,” she said.

The roadmap guides organizations through the step-by-step process to start farmer-led groups and implement the Batch and Grow program. Each step details a timeline, success tips, goalposts to move the project forward, important considerations and insights that AFT and its partners learned throughout the process.

“As the program evolved, we realized the process could be tailored to fit more than one type of organization,” Larsen said. “We did not want interested groups to recreate the wheel. That’s why we created the roadmap.

“It draws on those lessons learned and is filled with practical information to help organizations launch their own Batch and Grow program, ultimately putting more cover crops on the ground to improve water quality and soil health.”

Farmers across Illinois agree. A participant from Jo Daviess County shared that the Batch and Grow program is a tremendous asset to the farming community: “Implementation is often the hardest part when considering a new practice, and this program removes some of that concern.”

Another participant from Clinton County stated that while other programs can have rigid rules, “I am optimistic about this one.”

To learn more about the Batch and Grow program or to launch Batch and Grow in your area, reach out to AFT Midwest Senior Program Manager Helen VanBeck at HVanBeck@farmland.org.

Get a copy of the guide at tinyurl.com/Batch-and-Grow-Roadmap.