URBANA, Ill. — Newly released 2022 Precision Conservation Management (PCM) results from 400 participating farmers in three states includes several recommendations for nitrogen application and tillage management. In a June 23 webinar hosted by the University of Illinois farmdoc team, Dr. Laura Gentry discussed the impacts of PCM that were realized during the 2021 growing season.

“We have over 100,000 acres of reduced tillage among the farmers in the PCM program, over 125,000 acres of in-season fertilizer applications on corn acres and 36,000 acres of cover crops,” said Gentry, who is director of water quality science for the Illinois Corn Growers Association. “This is not enough to meet the goals of the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) in one year, but what it does demonstrate is that the farmers in PCM are making changes and moving in the right direction towards meeting goals to avoid agricultural regulation and to make us better farmers and stewards of the land. Hopefully they can begin to generate some assets in different ecosystem service markets.”

During 2021, PCM farmers eliminated nitrate N usage by almost 600,000 pounds, in addition to eliminating 84,000 pounds of phosphorus usage. Nearly 125,000 tons of sediment were kept on farms by producers employing PCM strategies in 2021, according to the data. 

“We’re making this data available to help farmers make the best conservation decisions and business decisions for their farms,” Gentry said.

Top takeaways from the 2022 report include:

Including all the data in the PCM dataset, applying nitrogen over MRTN (maximum return to N) rates is never a profitable system. If you are applying more nitrogen than is recommended by MRTN, you are losing money on that nitrogen investment AND likely causing a negative impact on your environment.

The most profitable acres in the PCM dataset are utilizing preplant and sidedress nitrogen applications at MRTN rates. If you are still fall-applying nitrogen, consider moving to a different management system for 2023.

More than two heavy tillage passes is never more profitable than other tillage management systems in the PCM dataset. If you are utilizing heavy tillage, consider moving to lighter tillage systems like strip tillage for the next crop year. 

Furthermore, the report concludes that cover crops continue to be the most important and impactful conservation practice available to farmers, though it is not always the most profitable. PCM recommends that all farmers apply for cover crop grants or cost-sharing programs to offset the cost.

“Within our dataset, cover crop acres are still minimal and farmers utilizing the practice are relatively inexperienced,” according to Lindsay Mitchell, communications director for the Illinois Corn Growers Association. “As our dataset grows and farmers learn what will work in their regions of Illinois, we expect to see cover crops as a business practice become more and more profitable.”

PCM director Greg Goodwin said the program was created by the ICGA in 2015 in order to aid farmers in conservation practice adoption and to understand how the practices impact their resource management and net returns. 

“We want farmers to be able to benefit from their positive conservation outcomes. We do this by trying to address precisely what growers are looking for to adopt conservation management on their farms. We offer one on one technical support, a data collection platform to streamline data entry and ease the farmer’s burden, and providing individual resource analysis and assessment plans or RAP reports,” said Goodwin, adding that PCM also offers local practice comparisons to help growers compare their management approaches with like-minded peers. 

“We offer participation payments of $750 just for signing up, and we also offer access to assistance with enrollment into exclusive programs that offer incentives or cost-shares for conservation practice adoption. And we offer educational opportunities through field days and other similar events,” Goodwin said.

The PCM program began with a primary focus on improving water quality around farmlands, but has evolved into much more, according to Gentry. “PCM was really developed as a way for farmers to take charge and claim their own victories in terms of environmental assets, and it started with a focus on water quality,” she said. “But in recent years, as we all know, the issues around soil health and most recently the big opportunities around carbon markets and carbon assets are (also) things we like to think about. We want to also generate and maximize our carbon assets to take advantage of the carbon markets that are out there.”

Farmers can review the PCM 2022 Business Case for Conservation in full at www.ilcorn.org/file/619/PCMBooklet_WEB_FINAL_05-13-22.pdf.