Resources

Documents & Websites

Illinois Farmers and Farmland and Part of the Climate Solution

This 2-page document recaps findings from a report titled “Potential for Conservation Practices to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequester Carbon on Croplands and Grazing Lands in Illinois” that provides an overview of county-level GHG emission estimates for croplands and grazing lands in Illinois and highlights the significant potential for Illinois cropland to reduce GHG emissions and sequester carbon. The full report and information for additional states are available from the Farmland Information Center.  

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Combating Climate Change on US Cropland

This report, produced by American Farmland Trust, highlights potential for US cropland to sequester carbon and reduce GHG emission through the adoption of cover cropping and no-till.  Values are based on analysis conducted in CaRPE.  

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Making Sense of Carbon Markets

A presentation introducing carbon markets by Jean Brokish, Deputy Director for American Farmland Trust; delivered as part of the Soil Health Stewards Program (April 2022).

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Conservation and Carbon Funding for Farmers

Watch a presentation discussing carbon and conservation funding for farmers by Megan Miller, Agronomic Program Manager at the Illinois Soybean Association; delivered as part of Soy Summit (March 2023).

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Carbon & Data Guidebook

Published by the Illinois Soybean Association, this resource can be used to help farmers gather and manage the data needed for ecosystem service market enrollment.

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ISAP’s Cover Crop Incentives Directory

ISAP’s Cover Crop Incentives Directory provides an overview of cover crop incentive payment opportunities for farmers in Illinois. The directory includes both publicly and privately funded programs as well as a “Stacking Matrix” so farmers can easily determine if they may be eligible to stack payments from multiple programs. If there is information in the directory that needs to be updated, please contact ISAP at hello@ilsustainableag.org

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ISAP’s Edge-of-Field Incentive Directory

ISAP’s Edge-of-Field Incentives Directory provides an overview of edge-of-field (EoF) incentive payment opportunities for farmers in Illinois. EoF practices are defined as those practices which intercept, capture, and treat subsurface drainage (conservation drainage practices) or surface runoff at the field level. The conservation drainage practices include bioreactors, constructed wetlands for tile-drainage treatment, drainage water management, drainage water recycling, and saturated buffers. Surface runoff practices include vegetated riparian buffers, filter strips, prairie strips, and restored wetlands. The directory also includes a “Stacking Matrix” so farmers can easily determine if they may be eligible to stack payments from multiple programs.

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ISAP’s Ecosystem Market Information Fact Sheet

ISAP’s Ecosystem Market Information fact sheet provides a brief overview of carbon and water quality credits, a list of planning resources to assist in evaluating market potential, and tabular overviews of ten different market and program opportunities.

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How to Grow and Sell Carbon Credits in US Agriculture

From Iowa State University Extension, this report compares the requirements to grow and sell carbon credits across 13 private voluntary agricultural programs in the United States.

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Illinois Climate Smart Agriculture Brief – AFT

This Illinois specific brief, developed by American Farmland Trust (AFT), demonstrates the scale of potentially achievable reductions in estimated state-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for cropland and grazing land through the adoption of soil health management practices. They are intended to provide a snapshot of how much Illinois’ agricultural sector can contribute to state climate mitigation goals with a subset of practices. Accompanying these briefs is an updated Carbon Reduction Potential Evaluation Tool (CaRPE Tool™) and upcoming full reports that states can use to estimate climate mitigation potential from the agriculture sector.

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