STAR Sustainability Pilot Continues in Central Illinois

The Midwest is known for its bountiful and diverse agricultural production, and Illinois is no exception. The Prairie State is one of the country’s leading agricultural producers, ranking third nationally in the export of agricultural commodities. But this incredible productivity comes at a cost. Intense land use is impacting soil health and causing erosion that harms streams, rivers and lakes. The runoff of excess nitrogen and phosphorus (two nutrients used to fertilize crops and that are naturally abundant in prairie soils) pollutes water in and down the Mississippi River, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy goals of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus loss by 45% and vetted by a local technical advisory committee made up of representatives from all the agriculture sectors—retail, commodity, government agencies and farmers. TNC has been a supporter of the initiative since its inception.

Farmers and landowners across Illinois are working to implement sustainable practices that address these issues, and the STAR initiative was developed by the Champaign County Soil & Water Conservation District in 2017 to assist in these efforts. STAR stands for Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources, and this free and voluntary evaluation tool awards STARs on a scale of one to five to farmers who adopt practices that address the loss of soil and fertilizer runoff on farm fields. The ratings are regionally specific, linked

In 2022, TNC and the Kellogg Company, in cooperation with merchandiser Archer Daniels Midland Company, worked to increase interest in a STAR pay-for-performance pilot that encourages farmers in central Illinois to adopt and/or maintain conservation practices through a cash incentive. Farmers who sign up for the program can receive funding in two ways: if their field has earned a 5-STAR rating, or if the field shows an improvement in STAR ratings over two crop years. The goal of the pilot is to understand if incentive programs managed through grain buyers increases farmer participation and results, and this year’s pilot proved that interest is increasing. In July, TNC coordinated with all project partners to educate farmers about the cash incentive through an improved outreach campaign. As a result of these efforts, twice as many farmers enrolled during the eight-week sign-up period compared to the previous year.

Funding for the pilot was provided through the Midwest Row Crop Collaborative, a unique partnership aligned to drive positive environmental change in the Mississippi River Basin. Members are industry-leading supply chain companies, such as Kellogg, and environmental nonprofits, including TNC.