Conservation’s Impact on the Farm Bottom Line is a new report from Soil Health Partnership (SHP) that details the financial impact of conservation tillage and cover crop usage among Midwest corn and soybean growers.
This project, done in collaboration with Environmental Defense Fund and the accounting firm K•Coe Isom, aimed to:
- Compare crop budgets for fields using conventional vs. conservation practices
- Identify benefits, opportunities and limiting factors associated with common conservation approaches, and
- Help farmers and their business partners better understand the financial dynamics of conservation practice adoption
Based on an analysis of farm operations, management practices and financial records, the project team identified three key takeaways:
- Conservation tillage reduces operating costs, resulting in higher net returns per acre among study participants.
- Cover crops can be part of a profitable farming system, especially as experience with the practice grows.
- Success with conservation practices is optimized when farmers take a targeted, stepwise, tailored approach to implementation.
The hope with this project is that analyses like this will encourage continued and expanded support for farmers – technical and financial – as they transition to conservation practices.
To learn more about Conservation’s Impact on the Farm Bottom Line, visit soilhealthpartnership.org/farmfinance.
COVID-19 Resources
NCGA is taking a series of actions to do our part to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the economic fallout it is creating for corn farmers and our customers. Short term, this means instituting policies to protect the health and safety of our stakeholders and the broader communities we serve. Long term, we’re focused on creating solutions to help corn farmers and our customers recover from the financial impacts of this crisis.
CommonGround
CommonGround is a group of farmers connecting with consumers through conversations about science and research and personal stories about food and misinformation surrounding farming. Supported by the NCGA and state corn organizations.
SHP
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by NCGA the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm.
