BLOOMINGTON, Ill., March 2, 2021 —
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund today announced a new partnership with the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) and other groups to catalyze farmer adoption of conservation practices that generate verifiable carbon reductions and water quality improvements. In 2021 the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund will expand into Illinois starting in Bureau, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, McHenry, and Will counties in Illinois, targeting 20,000 acres of new conservation practice adoption.
This partnership is a component of ISA’s efforts to scale sustainable agriculture practices in a farmer-centric and outcomes-driven manner, and helps ISA demonstrate the value of sustainability to Illinois soybean farmers.
“In this new partnership with the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, ISA is helping soybean farmers in these Illinois counties adopt new conservation practices,” said Steve Pitstick, ISA District 2 Director from Maple Park, Ill. “By adopting and better measuring these practices, farmers will effectively reduce their carbon emissions, improve water quality, and receive financial incentives for doing so.”
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund provides financial incentives directly to farmers who transition to on-farm conservation practices such as no till and cover crops that yield outcomes like carbon sequestration and water quality improvement. The environmental outcomes are verified using a combination of environmental modeling, in-field monitoring, and remote sensing. The water quality and carbon sequestration outcomes produced by farmers in Illinois are being purchased by a mix of public and private partners.
“We are thrilled to bring the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund to Illinois farmers,” said Adam Kiel, Soil and Water Outcomes Fund managing director and AgOutcomes vice president. “We hope farmers in Illinois see value in adding sustainable farming practices to their operations.”
In 2021, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund plans to expand to more than 100,000 acres of cropland across Iowa, Ohio and Illinois. This expansion will significantly increase opportunities for farmers to be compensated for implementing conservation practices that produce verified environmental outcomes. Farmers interested in enrollment should visit www.theoutcomesfund.com to learn more or contact their Nutrien Ag Solutions or Ingredion representative.
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund is a partnership of AgOutcomes, a subsidiary of the Iowa Soybean Association, and ReHarvest Partners, a subsidiary of Quantified Ventures.
About AgOutcomes
AgOutcomes connects farmers with opportunities to produce valued environmental outcomes. AgOutcomes recruits farmers for enrollment in the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, provides customer support and technical assistance to farmers, works with affiliated recruiters, monitors soil and water in enrolled fields, assists with the outcome validation process, and conducts field visits with enrolled farmers. AgOutcomes is a subsidiary of the Iowa Soybean Association.
About ReHarvest Partners
ReHarvest Partners is leading the transition to a more regenerative system of agriculture by creatively deploying capital and structuring unique partnerships. ReHarvest Partners’ outcomes-based approach aligns the interests of investors, farmers, consumers, companies, and government to enhance natural systems. Our mission is to deploy investment capital to cultivate a system of agriculture that enhances rural economies and regenerates ecosystems. ReHarvest Partners is a subsidiary of Quantified Ventures.
About the Illinois Soybean Association
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff and membership programs represent more than 43,000 soybean farmers in Illinois. The checkoff funds market development and utilization efforts while the membership program supports the government relations interests of Illinois soybean farmers at the local, state, and national level, through the Illinois Soybean Growers (ISG). ISA upholds the interests of Illinois soybean producers through promotion, advocacy, and education with the vision of becoming a market leader in sustainable soybean production and profitability. For more information, visit the website www.ilsoy.org.
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For more information, contact:
Rachel Peabody
peabodyr@ilsoy.org
217-825-7654
Claire Weinzierl
weinzierlc@ilsoy.org
309-660-3444
