This article focuses on the relationship between farm goals and the adoption of conservation practices.

Using datasets from large numbers of farms, Dr. Jeff Hadachek created a model that allows farmers to input their own costs to see how their bottom line would be affected if they implemented specific conservation practices.

Opey Rowell has a pretty straightforward take on carbon programs. “Farm the way you believe and if it fits, it fits,” says the Pekin, Ill., strip-tiller.

New research released by McKinsey & Company reveals that while 90% of US farmers have an understanding of sustainable farming, the uptake of practices remains low.

The USDA is looking to create a set of pilot projects that provides incentives to implement climate smart conservation practices on working lands and to quantify and monitor the carbon and greenhouse gases associated with those practices. The pilot projects could even expand or develop new and additional markets.

The University of Illinois examines the variety of agricultural conservation practices available to reduce the amount of nitrogen leaving fields and traveling downstream, what they cost and which ones are most effective for the money.

The Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), led by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, seeks to generate a first-hand look into how operators maintain ag lands for tomorrow.