Delivering Data for Change

Delivering Data for Change

Aidan Walton is a Conservation Specialist at Precision Conservation Management (PCM), a non-profit that works to improve farm incomes and environmental outcomes. Walton offers one-on-one technical support and data analysis to 100 corn and soybean farmers, covering 120,000 acres in seven counties in Central Illinois.

"I listen to what growers are saying and interested to learn more about," notes Walton. "My inspiration comes from their input, helping them as they consider new conservation practices and then pairing them with the most beneficial financial and technical assistance."

Walton finds it rewarding to be able to see the changes across the landscape even in just three and a half years since joining PCM. More and more farmers are using conservation practices, using less tillage, and managing nitrogen better during the growing season. Across his time so far at PCM, he has tracked around 50,000 acres with reduced tillage, monitored 52,000 acres using less nitrogen, and helped advise 15,000 acres of new cover crops. The Illinois Corn Growers Association and about 30 other agricultural groups, including Field to Market, help support the PCM program. Enrollment is free for growers, offering technical help, cost-sharing, and data analysis for conservation practices.

Initially, many growers had concerns about using cover crops due to added costs. However, some programs that PCM supports, including the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), help farmers blend private plans with government-backed programs. This has created more opportunities to adapt and manage economic risks, making farmers more interested in trying out cover crops and other conservation practices. Aidan Walton
Conservation Specialist
Precision Conservation Management This support is available for producers in Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, and soon Missouri. The program continues to expand due to word-of-mouth recommendations. "In my first two years, I made many cold calls, reaching out to growers with one cover crop field," Walton explains. "This year, I didn't have to make a single phone call."

As a Conservation Specialist, Walton asks for four to five hours of a farmer's time throughout the year, typically spread out across three to four meetings a year. In the summer, they gather crop data. In the fall, they discuss yield and harvest data. Then, in early spring, they review annual reports, resource analyses, and assessment plans, working to set goals for the upcoming season.

"[Within that,] we're estimating economic returns per acre from field operations," says Walton. He often sees that no-till practices are more profitable, sparking conversations about returns per acre. "There are fuel, labor, and machinery costs associated with tillage passes. We look at the bigger picture because yield doesn't always mean profit," he explains.

Walton utilizes Field to Market's Fieldprint Platform® to track GHG emissions, energy use, soil conservation, and land use and he sees it as a powerful tool. "I'd say most farmers enjoy looking at the graphs, seeing the British Thermal Units (BTUs) per bushel, and having that conversation of how fertilizer rates and grain drying impact the energy required to produce a bushel of corn," he explains.

In 2023, Walton's territory kept 30,400 metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) out of the atmosphere-that's the effect of 502,667 tree seedlings grown for ten years. This was accomplished by using practices such as precision nitrogen management, cover crops, and reduced tillage.

"I've seen many cooperators that once overlooked cover crops, no-till, and strip-till now planting cover crops on 50 percent of their acres," says Walton. "It's rewarding to build relationships and help farmers make tough decisions on the farm about what they should do."

For many of these growers, business relationships have turned into real partnerships.

"There are clear changes," he concludes.

"Most farmers enjoy looking at the graphs, seeing the British Thermal Units (BTUs) per bushel, and having that conversation of how fertilizer rates and grain drying impact the energy required to produce a bushel of corn."

Aidan Walton
Conservation Specialist
Precision Conservation Management