Soil Health

Carbon Reduction Potential Evaluation (CaRPE) Tool

American Farmland Trust expanded the utility of COMET-Planner by integrating cropland and grazing land acreages and data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture. 

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COMET-Planner

This online tool provides general estimates of the GHG impacts of certain NRCS conservation practices. Estimates can be supplied in tonnes of CO2e reduction potential per acre per year. 

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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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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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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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