Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources, or S.T.A.R., is a free tool developed by the Champaign County Soil and Water District in 2017 to help farmers evaluate their conservation practices. This tool will assign points based on different conservation practices, which will be converted to ratings ranging from 1 to 5 STARs. The S.T.A.R. criteria will assign points for each conservation activity related to cropping, tillage, nutrient application, and soil conservation activity on individual fields in addition to other “best management practices”. After getting a rating, farmers can receive a free report card sign to put in their field to show their commitment to conserving tomorrow’s resources.
BENEFITS OF STAR
- Decreased nutrient loss
- Promotes a positive image of farmers and agriculture in your community
- Inspires other farmers and landowners to take action in helping to meet nutrient and sediment loss reduction goals
- Promotes producers for new farmland leases
- Assists producers in securing local conservation cost share
- Assists producers in obtaining future market incentives for crops grown using conservation cropping practices.
- Assists producers in obtaining documentation in support of water quality issues
- Support the work of soil and water conservation districts
Boone County SWCD 