PCM participation growth continues

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Enrollment in the Precision Conservation Management program continues to grow across four states.

PCM, created in 2015 by the Illinois Corn Growers Association in response to the state’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, is expected to grow to about 700 farmers, including nearly 800,000 acres, by the end of this year.

“I’m going to guess that we’ll end up with probably more than 500 producers from Illinois that are in the program. Across Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska and Missouri collectively, I think we’ll end up with more than 700,” said Greg Goodwin, PCM director and ICGA’s water quality and sustainability initiatives lead.

“As of the end of 2025, we had about 626 producers enrolled and about 680,000 acres in the program collecting that pass-by-pass management data on a field-by-field basis. On average, we get about a 1,000 to 1,200 acres per farmer in the program.”

PCM is a farmer-focused conservation program of the ICGA and its partners, applying financial analysis to in-field conservation practices to help farmers adopt practices that impact environmental goals without risking their bottom line, as well as providing financial incentives.

Sponsors

The list of program sponsors continues to grow with the recent additions of Kraft Heinz and the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

In late 2025, Kraft Heinz announced its partnership with PCM to support Illinois farmers who implement in-field conservation practices aimed at achieving that company’s sustainability goals to reduce greenhouse base emissions and improve soil health.

KDA launched a five-year, $2.8 million initiative through PCM and the Kentucky Corn Growers Association last year.

KDA stated it’s providing tools for corn farmers to “implement proven practices that support the long-term resilience of the state’s historic agricultural community, while providing economic and sustainable value to regenerative agriculture in bourbon and distilling.”

PepsiCo, among the long-term supporters of PCM, also provides financial support for the program that incentivizes farmers to plant cover crops, reduce tillage and use nitrogen management.

In 2023, PepsiCo extended its commitment to the program through 2030 with a goal of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions through farm conservation practices.

“I think we’ll end the year with about 500,000 acres or a little over that enrolled in the PepsiCo program this year,” Goodwin noted during the Illinois State Fair’s Ag Day.

“We also continue to expand the work we’re doing in Kentucky. We have several distilleries that are members of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Last year was the first year for it. This year, we added a fifth parent company that owns a distillery down in that area, as well, and we’re working with more and more producers each year in that program.”

As is the case with PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz and other PCM supports, distilleries seek to collect documentation that corn growers are utilizing conservation practices.

“We are helping essentially pass on incentives for farmers that are interested in making conservation-based changes as far as in-field management — primarily looking at tillage reduction to no-till, strip-till, or reduced tillage, cover cropping and proper nitrogen management,” Goodwin said.

“Farmers can also sign up and work with us independent of receiving incentives and don’t have to make any practice change at the onset. We are trying to move them in that direction and just help highlight the economics of those decisions and really just bring transparency to those kind of things and show them where those diminishing returns on additional tillage or additional units of nitrogen are, just to help them be as efficient as possible.

“We collect all that data and that goes into the sustainability reporting for those individual private companies that are passing on those incentives.

“We are also applying for a Regional Conservation Partnership Program award this year that will hopefully allow us to expand that with some federal dollars and some of that same work in Illinois with PepsiCo and Kraft.”

PCM received a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Partners Program grant this year in support of on-the-ground conservation efforts.

Farmer’s Perspective

Goodwin was asked what the benefits are from a farmer’s perspective of enrolling in PCM.

“I look at it is we can provide farmers sort of a bit of a three-legged stool. First and foremost, the analysis you’re going to get on your on-farm data. There are, from what we understand, very few farmers that look at a field-by-field economic breakdown for their farm and specifically by commodity,” he said.

“We can take note of all those different management approaches that you are doing on your farm and that others are doing in your region and help show you the differences in how those management strategies play out economically and then also from a sustainability standpoint.

“All that data that we’re collecting from your farm, we’re going to pass it through an economic model and in a couple different environmental models to show you differences in the water quality outcomes, the sediment loss outcomes and carbon or greenhouse gas emissions outcomes, as well. That will help you be informed as you talk to your buyers about sustainability programs.

“We also try to keep very close tabs for corn producers about the ever-evolving landscape of different programming out there, whether that’s private or federal dollars paying farmers to do different conservation practices. Some of them are stackable, some are not. We try to keep our heads wrapped tightly around that so we can inform producers and help them make the best decision for their farms from an incentive standpoint.”

PCM conservation specialists provide one-on-one agronomic support to farmers in their region.

“So, as you go to make a practice change, if you have questions — as an example, cover crops, if you want to know what the common varieties are, maybe what’s most beneficial for your operation, where there’s least risk to get started — we can help you understand those decisions, also around terminating a cover prop, things like that,” Goodwin said.

“We have multiple certified crop advisers on our staff who keep a close eye on those things and do those continuing education credits and things of that nature to stay on top of all those different types of things.

“There are also those incentive programs. If you’re thinking about making a change, just trying to pair you with the right kind of support you may be able to receive to make that change and ease that financial barrier, and we’re constantly looking at new ways to do that, as well.

“There are a lot of different things going on, both with respect to like crop insurance type products to help incentivize conservation or lessen that burden or help hedge on that risk, as well as individual finance kind of products around incentivizing new equipment purchase. So, helping you cover the cost of that or potentially help lessen the interest rate associated with new equipment purchases.”

Incentive Markets

There are numerous incentive programs available, including carbon markets, that may be confusing to some because they vary in what are offered and required of farmers who enroll.

“Frankly, it is hard enough for us to keep our heads wrapped around it. One of the main issues, as far as just understanding what you’re getting into as a farmer, is understanding if what you’re signing up for is already exclusively private, exclusively federal dollars, or blending of those two things,” Goodwin said.

“You can sort of tap into one private bucket of money, one federal bucket of money, depending on the kinds of claims associated with those programs, but with some of the federal grants, there’s a pre-blending of federal and private money.

“So, just understanding where the source of money you’re tapping into is coming from so that you don’t get accused of double-dipping is super important, and right now there are no registries out there.”

Anonymous Data

Individuals’ data collected on all fields enrolled are kept private.

“Your on-farm data as a farmer is super precious, important and valuable,” Goodwin said. “One thing we really promote and believe in PCM is that we are trying to put that data back to work for the farmer first and foremost, and we never sell or repurpose your data in any way that is not transparent to you.

“The only way we’re really doing that is an aggregated, anonymized outreach, just to help others learn. We’re very clear about that in our data use agreement when we sign farmers up for the program, that we put out an annual data publication that looks at the breakdown of economics based on what practices farmers are doing and try to highlight and shed those economic insights that others can learn from. We make all that very clear.

“There are many other programs out there that maybe are harvesting your data for sustainability or reporting, but then potentially also selling that in the background and creating a profit or creating products off of that that are to their benefit.

“Maybe there’s some value to the farmer down the road, not saying there never could be, but it’s just important for us to make that very transparent upfront to farmers, and I don’t think it is in every other program to see.”