SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The 2025 Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) Conference, held in November, wrapped up with a lighthearted “Dating Game”-inspired roundtable that allowed participants to convey farmer-facing NLRS program details.

Sponsored by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP), panelists and programs represented included Jean Brokish, American Farmland Trust (panelist host); Rachel Curry, University of Illinois Extension (Watershed Outreach Program); Adrienne Marino, The Nature Conservancy (Batch and Build); Natalie Kerr, Illinois STAR (Illinois STAR); Kris Reynolds, American Farmland Trust (FLASH Batch N Grow); and Greg Goodwin, Illinois Corn Growers Association (Precision Conservation Management).

The light “Dating Game” format served to keep engagement high while conveying important program details and differences that help farmers participate in NLRS-recommended practices that are right for their operations. Programs highlighted included STAR, Precision Conservation Management (PCM), Batch & Build Pilot Program, FLASH Batch & Grow program, and Illinois Extension Watershed Outreach programs.

STAR provides a 1-5 rating tied to practice adoption, recognition and incentives (up to $25/ac for 5-star growers or for improvement year over year), supported by STAR Navigators (https://www.starconservation.org/).

PCM helps quantify farmer’s Return on Investment for conservation. PCM offers annual enrollment, garners high satisfaction among participants, and engages corporate partnerships (e.g., beverage industry) for expanded reach (precisionconservation.org).

Batch & Build aggregates construction projects of saturated buffers, bioreactors, controlled drainage into cohort projects, which streamlines permitting, relieves some engineering and cost barriers. An Illinois pilot project aims to implement conservation on 20 sites by 2026 in partnership with the ADM Coalition and Knox County SWCD (https://www.iaagwater.org/cost-share-hub/batch-and-build/).

Batch & Grow provides turnkey cover crop support (seed ordering, seeding logistics) via farmer-led FLASH groups. This initiative is growing local networks and entrepreneurship. Its first year reported about 8,000 acres seeded with about 5,400 new cover crop acres (https://farmland.org/flash).

Illinois Extension’s Watershed Outreach program addresses knowledge and cost barriers in priority watersheds. Last year, they served the region through outreach partnerships and a program providing free cover crop seed, funded and supported in cooperation with Illinois Soybean Association and SWCDs (https://extension.illinois.edu/nlr/watershed-based-planning).

“The consistent themes across programs were to reduce friction and adoption barriers, build farmer networks, and link and provide incentives to accelerate practice adoption in support of Illinois NLRS agricultural sector implementation,” the NLRS Committee stated in their summary of the event.

In his assessment of the first 10 years of the voluntary state NLRS, Acting Director James Jennings of the Illinois EPA said the state registered measurable point source progress. IEPA is deploying farmer financial tools, including a new edge-of-field grant program to reduce agricultural nitrate loss via practice adoption, according to Jennings. 

The 2025 Illinois NLRS Conference was Nov. 5 at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center in Springfield. Ninety-seven people attended in person and 62 people attended online, totaling 159 people. The event brought together researchers, policymakers, agency staff and stakeholders to share knowledge and strengthen Illinois’ NLRS.

The Illinois NLRS is a statewide voluntary effort to reduce the amount of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, entering Illinois waterways and the Gulf of Mexico from both point source and non-point sources, including agriculture. Learn more at go.illinois.edu/NLRS.