ISAP releases annual report

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) brings together diverse member organizations who are working collaboratively to encourage the adoption of sustainable and profitable production practices that improve soil health and restore local waters.

One of the Partnership’s primary efforts is to support Illinois agriculture in meeting the goals of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy by utilizing data and consistent messaging to increase the technical capacity of ag professionals while minimizing risk and increasing profits for farmers.

This year, ISAP led a partnership of organizations from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Wisconsin to develop educational materials and host informational webinars to engage farmers and farm advisors in the exploration of ecosystem market opportunities. Our goal was to provide farmers with transparent and practical information to increase their confidence in evaluating ecosystem market opportunities and empower farmers to make their own decisions about what may or may not be right for their farms.

ISAP developed the Ecosystem Market Information fact sheet which 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. ISAP also hosted 5 webinars throughout the year, connecting farmers with data platforms, input providers, and other members of the food and ag supply chain. The virtual webinars reached an initial audience of over 2,000 attendees, and the recordings have been viewed over 1,500 times on YouTube.

In June 2021, an Advanced Soil Health Training was launched for a Bi-State Cohort of 25 individuals from Iowa and Illinois. After completing the intensive classroom and in-field training over an 18-month period, graduates of this train-the-trainer program will continue to expand the impact of their learnings by hosting field days and educational sessions for farmers and other local practitioners.