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As summer settles in and crops are growing throughout the
Midwest, it’s time for farmers and landowners to reap the
results of investing in conservation practices on their fields.
By participating in STAR, farmers receive a clear conservation
roadmap, gain public recognition for their environmental
stewardship, create a market signal for supply chain partners,
and can connect to opportunities for technical and financial
support.
Participation is simple and free. Farmers and landowners can use
a Web Application or a fillable “Field Form” available at the
STAR Website: www.starfreetool.com or can contact a local Soil &
Water Conservation District for help since most of them in
Illinois are licensed to provide STAR. Submissions should be
made before harvest but can be completed as late as January
31st, 2024.
STAR is an innovative tool developed by farmers, for farmers in
2017 by leaders in the Champaign County Soil and Water
Conservation District (CCSWCD). Since then, STAR has spread
across Illinois and to Indiana, Iowa, Colorado, Washington, and
Missouri. In 2022, 476 participants on 1,293 fields and 86,871
acres in Illinois embraced the power of STAR.
These farmers have been able to track progress along their
conservation journey by answering field-specific questions about
their rotation, tillage, nutrient applications, and conservation
practices. Answers to the questions, protected by data security
agreements, are used to determine a field’s STAR Rating of one
(1) to five (5) STARS, and farmers are provided with a free
field sign to showcase their score.
This rating helps farmers to communicate their land stewardship
and to position their farms for potential market incentive
opportunities. Farmers are also provided with a Conservation
Improvement plan to guide future conservation practice decisions
along with resources for technical and financial support.
The scoring system behind the ratings was created by a Science
Advisory Committee of industry experts, university researchers,
and farmers. Conservation practices that are awarded STAR points
include both “in field” and “edge of field” practices that have
been proven to help decrease nutrient and soil losses, improve
water quality and soil health, and increase farm resilience.
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Current “in field” practices that are encouraged include
nutrient application timing, tillage method, and usage of cover
crops. Current “edge of field” practices include the use of
filter strips, waterways, and pollinator plantings. Decisions
about which practices to encourage, or discourage, the points
assigned, and the scoring system that determines the STAR Rating
are regularly re-evaluated and updated by the STAR Science
Advisory Committee.
“We created STAR to show farmers how easy it can be to prevent
nutrient and soil losses, protect our water supplies, and
improve soil health. Every year, we see more participants ready
to join our efforts by using the free STAR tool,” said Steve
Stierwalt, President of the CCSWCD. “By providing a clear
conservation roadmap, supporting resources, and public
recognition, STAR will continue to show more farmers and
landowners that the time and effort spent implementing
conservation practices produces great returns on their
investment and necessary protections for the health of our soil
and water.”
When Stierwalt co-founded STAR with Joe Rothermel, the
motivation was to help meet the agricultural goals in the
state’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy plan. That plan,
developed by the state’s Department of Agriculture and
Environmental Protection Agency, lays out a comprehensive suite
of best management practices for reducing nutrient loads from
wastewater treatment plants, urban, and agricultural runoff.
While many farmers agree that these conservation practices can
benefit both their farms and society, it can be difficult to
initiate, maintain, and integrate conservation into their
production systems. The STAR team is working hard to build
partnerships across the supply chain that will provide technical
and financial assistance to participating farmers. Pilot
programs were successfully completed with multiple partners in
2021 and 2022, and more incentive programs are being planned for
2023.
For more information, go to the website or email the Illinois
STAR Coordinator at
info@starfreetool.com. |
