S.T.A.R. is an exciting initiative developed by farmers and soil and water conservation professionals that offers farm operators and landowners a simple, free, and confidential tool to evaluate their conservation land management practices. The goal of S.T.A.R. is to encourage the continued adoption of conservation practices and recognize farmers for their commitment to sustainability. From improved nutrient management to cover crops to edge of field water treatment and even crop rotation or inclusion of livestock, a suite of practices can result in a rating of between one and five stars!
Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (S.T.A.R.) is a FREE nationwide tool to assist farm operators and landowners in evaluating their nutrient and soil loss management practices on individual fields. S.T.A.R. encourages farmers and landowners to use management practices and make decisions that will reduce the nutrient and soil losses on their fields, and in return, they are provided recognition with a field sign recognizing their level of commitment to conservation.
The initiative utilizes a simple field form that requests information from a farmer or non-operator landowner concerning individual fields for a given crop year. The S.T.A.R. evaluation program assigns points for each cropping, tillage, nutrient application, and soil conservation activity on individual fields in addition to other “best management practices” as established by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). Field forms for enrollment have a deadline of February 5, 2021.
A S.T.A.R. Rewards Pilot Incentive Program through the S.T.A.R. Initiative is now offering a modest incentive to Illinois farmers willing to implement new in-field management practices that increase their STAR rating. Practices submitted for enrollment must not be currently enrolled in other state or federal cost-share funding or incentive programs.
Additional information is available online at starfreetool.com or by contacting White County SWCD at 618-382-2213, Ext. 3, for assistance.
