Resources
Documents & Websites
State Conservation Program Dashboard
The State Conservation Program Dashboard (the “dashboard”) is an interactive database of state-level programs that advance on-farm conservation and expand the implementation of practices that improve soil health. It provides a snapshot of state efforts to help raise awareness about effective approaches, inform state and federal policy action, and encourage more agricultural land conservation.
How to Use the Dashboard
The dashboard includes information about three state approaches – On-Farm Conservation, Technical Assistance Capacity, and Research and Demonstration – that can be accessed using the color-coded buttons.
Each section highlights program mechanics and activities, enabling comparison across states. Individual programs are shown in rows. The tabs along the top of each table describe program features, such as administration, eligibility, inclusion and access, financial assistance, outcomes, and more. Columns within each tab highlight additional program information that can be filtered and sorted. For descriptions of each column heading, refer to the State Conservation Program Dashboard Index.
Finally, clicking on a row in the table generates a secondary table at the bottom of the dashboard that displays more customized details related to that program.
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Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy & Agricultural Conservation Practices
This 1-pager created by Illinois Extension, gives a brief overview of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (INLRS), highlights nutrient loss in Illinois, impacts of nutrient loss, and conservation practices that can address in-field and edge of field nutrient loss.
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Digging Deeper: Cover Crop Mixes
Cover crop mixes are a great tool that can be used to address a wide range of field concerns and production goals. This resource is meant to guide your design of a cover crop mix that is applicable to your production environment, highlight various considerations of mix designs, and support your development of an adaptive strategy to successfully use multispecies cover crops on your farm.
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The Financial Implications of Conservation Agriculture Booklet
This booklet aims to inform farmers’ key partners—in particular, farm business management educators, agricultural lenders, and conservation educators and professionals—about the financial costs and benefits of conservation agriculture practices to assist their work with farmers.
The sections for each of these practices are also available as separate fact sheets that can be accessed here.
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EPA Watershed Academy Learning Modules and Webcasts
EPA’s Watershed Academy holds a variety of learning modules, webcasts, and watershed management resources.
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EPA Webcast Archives
Previous webcasts covering topics including: agriculture, climate change, lakes, monitoring and tools, nutrient management, oceans and coastal waters, protection and planning, rivers and streams, water research, and wetlands.
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Addressing Nonpoint Source Pollution – Webcast Recording
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution encompasses a wide range of sources and is the prevailing cause of the nation’s water quality problems. The vast extent and continuous nature of NPS pollution is a challenge that requires problems to be addressed through a variety of approaches using multiple funding sources.
You can access EPA’s Watershed Academy webcast to learn more about the national nonpoint source program and the various ways this program helps restore water quality across the United States.
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Nutrient Pollution Module by Watershed Academy
This module is intended to provide an overview of nutrient pollution and the associated water quality and human health impacts. This module covers the science behind the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, the impacts of nutrient pollution on human health and the environment, the sources of nutrient pollution, and federal, state, tribal, and territory actions underway to mitigate nutrient pollution impacts. It also includes the current science on how climate change may impact nutrient pollution. Finally, the module covers the tools, opportunities, and activities available for the public to get involved in these issues.
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Jumpstarting Conservation Drainage Practices in Illinois
Project Summary
The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC), along with American Farmland Trust (AFT), Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (IL LICA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and The Wetlands Initiative (TWI), were recently awarded a National Fish Habitat Partnership Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Fishers & Farmers Partnership. With these funds, this coalition of partners from the IL Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) is working in central Illinois to identify sites where (1) conditions are suitable for conservation drainage practices, and (2) there is local interest in gaining hands-on experience with the evaluation, design, and installation steps associated with conservation drainage practices. This “learning by doing” experience is critical for successfully installing conservation drainage practices, and it helps build momentum to deliver tile treatment practices at the pace and scale that can impact water quality. ISAP invites your participation and engagement in this effort to “jumpstart” conservation drainage practice installation in Central Illinois.
Who can provide more information?
Keegan Kult, Ag Drainage Management Coalition: kkult@admcoalition.com
Adrienne Marino, The Nature Conservancy, adrienne.marino@tnc.org
Jill Kostel, The Wetlands Initiative, jkostel@wetlands-initiative.org
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Precision Conservation Management: The Business Case for Conservation
Precision Conservation Management (PCM), is a program of IL Corn and Illinois Soybean Association. PCM released their annual “Business Case for Conservation” that offers data highlights gleaned from farmers in Illinois. The results are useful for farmers across much of the Midwest in regard to nitrogen application, cover crops, and tillage management.
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