Most farmers are concerned about excessive use of fertilizer, soil run-off and green house gas emissions from farms as threats to our nation's water, air and wildlife—but some fear they are putting their yields and income at risk. AFT's Agricultural Conservation Innovation Center (ACIC) addresses this challenge by pioneering the use of conservation risk management tools to protect producers from financial loss when they implement healthy, environmental farming practices.

new tools to protect farm income while keeping the land healthy

AFT's new, innovative tools to help farmers adopt conservation farming practices stems from the need to compensate farmers if their income is reduced as a result of using Best Management Practices (BMP) for nutrients, tillage and pest control. By modifying risk insurance into a flexible, less-regulated product—the commercial service, or profit, guarantee—AFT is developing tools that protect income, are market-driven, and can be offered to farmers through companies, state agencies, watershed groups, crop consultants and others.

Nutrient Best Management Practices (BMP)

AFT's nutrient management commercial service guarantee product provides farmers with financial "incentive" protection for reducing the amount of fertilizer applied to fields, thereby avoiding the detrimental effects to the environment of over- application. When tested on fields in four Midwestern states, AFT's tools reduced fertilizer use by 24 percent while fully protecting farm income.

Targeting 52 Million Acres of Corn in 13 States for Conservation Incentives and Water Quality Credit Trading
Along with our partners, AFT is focusing on implementing conservation incentives in 31 states in the Midwest and Great Lakes region, with a particular emphasis on developing water quality trading applications in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Water quality trading is a new opportunity for farmers to help protect critical drinking water supplies in the Susquehanna, Potomac River and Minnesota Watersheds. Wastewater and other sources have greatly reduced nutrient emmissions into these watersheds but now face high costs for incremental gains—creating a market for nutrient reducing improvements made by farmers. The new pilot project, funded by a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant, will establish a framework for farmers to trade nutrient use reductions (that improve water quality) for cash.

Protecting the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
AFT is helping to reduce farm nutrient run-off into the Chesapeake Bay through a commercial service guarantee pilot project in Pennsylvania. Participating farmers in the Lower Juniata River and the Lower Susquehanna River watersheds are adopting new practices to reduce fertilizer applications up to 15 percent below current Nutrient Management Plan (NMP) recommendations, knowing they will be protected from financial loss. Our pilot program will serve as a model for Chesapeake Bay Watershed farmers to protect this important environmental resource without impacting their farm profitability.

The Nutrient BMP Challenge: Risk-free Savings for Farmers in Eight States
Farmers growing corn for grain or silage in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin now have an alternative to applying extra fertilizer as "insurance" against yield loss. A new program offered by AFT and Agflex, Nutrient BMP Challenge, is a way for producers to protect themselves against what they may perceive as possible lost income from not putting on enough crop nutrients. Participating farmers have no up-front costs and an opportunity for savings with no risk.

Implementing Conservation Tillage

AFT developed conservation tillage risk management products and programs in the Midwest to protect farm income while reducing soil erosion, excessive fertilization and the release of carbon dioxide.

A New Approach to Conservation Tillage for Corn Producers
In 2005, AFT helped implement a conservation tillage program for thousands of acres of corn fields in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Since its inception, greenhouse gas emissions on those acres were reduced by up to 69 percent and soil erosion by up to 78 percent. The key to the program's success is the commercial service guarantee provided to participating farmers so they willingly used conservation tillage methods without worrying about risk to farm income. More than 100,000 acres of corn producing fields are targeted to implement conservation tillage through this program.

expanding the use of integrated pest management

A risk management commercial profit guarantee product was developed by AFT to help more producers combat crop pests by using the environmentally sound method of integrated pest management (IPM) without taking on economic risk.

Corn Rootworm Guarantee
Farmers in Wisconsin and Illinois are reducing pesticides on 800 acres by 3,200 pounds through an AFT Integrated Pest Management program that includes a commercial profit guarantee so participants can utilize the conservation methods while protecting farm income. To date, AFT has helped reduce pesticide use by more than 2 million pounds.

Contact Us
Agricultural Conservation Innovation Center
Brian Brandt, Director of Risk Management
50 West Broad Street, Suite 3250
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 221-8610
bbrandt@farmland.org