What is Precision Ag Farm Business Planning?

Precision ag technology is used to make a variety of agronomic management decisions on farms. Increasingly, this technology has become critically important in identifying underperforming acres within farming operations. Pheasants Forever supports agricultural producers by assisting them in understanding how their farm-specific data can serve as a guide to identifying areas where management changes and conservation programs can improve the profitability of low-yielding areas. Changes that are implemented as a result of this analysis are beneficial for wildlife habitat, building soil health, increasing water quality, and improving sustainability.

Pheasants Forever offers producers Precision Ag Farm Business Planning and unlimited technical support in analyzing data using your preferred data platform. Voluntary solutions for marginal acres that make economic and agronomic sense. A trusted resource in navigating all available land programs, including access to exclusive funding opportunities. Services are provided at no cost to the producer.

This program is being offered as part of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Farm Climate Smart program alongside practices like no-till and cover crops because we know how important and valuable it is for producers to understand their data. As stewards of the land and business owners, growers need access to all options, including conservation, when analyzing ROI-negative acres.

What is Precision Ag Farm Business Planning?

Precision agriculture technology is used to make a variety of agronomic management decisions on farms. Increasingly, this technology has become critically important in identifying underperforming acres within farming operations.

Pheasants Forever offers Precision Ag Farm Business Planning and unlimited technical support to assist in understanding how their farm-specific data can serve as a guide to identifying areas where management changes and conservation practices can improve the profitability of low-yielding areas. Changes that are implemented as a result of this analysis are beneficial for farm economics, improve wildlife habitat, and sequester carbon.

The Precision Ag Process

Field Analysis

Using multiple years of field-specific information, like yield data, Pheasants Forever will create profit maps to identify historic trends in return on investment.

Field Analysis

Using multiple years of field-specific information, like yield data, Pheasants Forever will create profit maps to identify historic trends in return on investment.

Identify Options

Pheasants Forever works with participants to compare how alternative management can increase profitability on poor ROI acres.

Identify Options

Pheasants Forever works with producers to compare how alternative management can increase profitability on poor ROI acres.

Identify Options

Pheasants Forever works with participants to compare how alternative management can increase profitability on poor ROI acres.

Implementation

Pheasants Forever works with producer to find cost share programs and provides technical assistance to install conservation practices on poor ROI acres.

Implementation

Pheasants Forever works with producer to find cost share program and technical assistance to install conservation practice on poor ROI acres.

Incentive Rates

Payment per acre based on percent of acreage converted to alternative management practices. See tiered payment structure for more information.

Payment will be made following verification of successful conservation practice installation.

Enrollment

Ready to start farming Climate Smart? To begin enrollment, review the Precision Ag Farm Business Planning program requirements. When you are ready to enroll, complete and submit the required application documents. Simply download, fill out, and scan and email or mail to Fox-Wolf. Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance will respond within 2 weeks upon receipt of application. Timeline is dependent upon verifying eligibility through USDA-FSA.

Step 1: Review Practice Requirements and Eligibility

Before filling out the required enrollment paperwork, please review the Precision Ag Farm Business Planning requirements and eligibility to determine if you qualify.

Program requirements and eligibility can be found in the Requirements and Eligibility document. If you have questions regarding eligibility, contact the Pheasants Forever Climate Smart staff.

Step 2: Download and Fill Out Documents

To begin enrollment, download and fill out the Producer Application packet. To download, click the image and follow the download instructions prompted by your browser.

All documents may be filled out online or by hand. Either way you decide to complete the application, the documents must be signed and dated by hand or as an encrypted digital signature.

Practice Requirements and Eligibility

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Practice Requirements and Eligibility

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Producer Application Packet

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Producer Application Packet

Click to View or Download

Requirements

Analysis Requirements

  • A minimum of three years of yield data must be provided to Pheasants Forever for qualifying crops for each field enrolled.
  • Yield data must be geospatially (GPS/mapped) referenced.
  • Willingness to participate in meetings with Pheasants Forever staff.

General Requirements

  • To receive incentive payments, producers must implement a management change on marginal acres following the analysis.
    • A minimum of 0.5 acres must be moved into conservation practices.
    • Pheasants Forever will work with producers to identify appropriate conservation practices to implement.
  • Conservation practices must follow NRCS standards and lifespans.
  • Incentives are for implementing a plan and do not cover the cost of installing a conservation practice. New conservation practices may qualify for funding through other cost share programs.
    • Pheasants Forever will provide producers with assistance to find funding for conservation practices (ex. NRCS, EQIP, CRP, or CSP) or connect them to other Fox-Wolf Farm Climate Smart programs.
  • Payment will be tiered and based on the percentage of identified marginal acres moved into alternative management. See the Practice Requirements and Eligibility document for tiered payment information.

Farms that are located within the 21 counties of the Fox-Wolf Basin (see map) are considered eligible. Farms located within the true boundaries of the Basin will receive priority over those that are not. Fox-Wolf reserves the right to decline enrollment from farms in counties outside the core (Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago) watershed boundaries. Some additional requirements may apply, see section above.

Contact the Pheasants Forever Climate Smart Precision Ag and Conservation Specialist to determine eligibility.

Partnerships for Climate Smart Commodities is a USDA program “committed to supporting a diverse range of farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners through Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities. This effort will expand markets for America’s climate-smart commodities, leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production, and provide direct, meaningful benefits to production agriculture, including for small and underserved producers.  USDA is investing more than $3.1 billion for 141 projects through this effort and all the projects require meaningful involvement of small and underserved producers.”

For more information, please visit USDA’s Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities website.

No, farms of all sizes are considered eligible. A maximum of 450 acres or $10,000 will be eligible for data sharing incentive payment.

Producers must be enrolled with FSA (have a Farm ID) before signing a contract. If a producer is not currently enrolled, they can become enrolled and then participate in the project.

Technical support to assist with FSA enrollment is available, through this program, by Wisconsin Farmers Union.

A minimum of 3 years of yield data, with two years of the same crop, must be provided to Pheasants Forever for qualifying crops for each field enrolled. Most annual row crops qualify. 

Some data from additional sources may be required depending on specific field/farm circumstances.

Through the analysis, producers can see field maps that visualize yields. Through this, parts of fields that are low-yielding can be identified. Pheasants Forever will then help producers to identify which conservation practices will be best to implement to improve yield or field costs. Additionally, Pheasants Forever will help connect producers to programs that provide technical and/or financial assistance with practices.

The Precision Ag Analysis uses field-specific yield data and GIS software to visualize the acres of fields that are lowest-yielding and marginal. Pheasants Forever staff will work with producers to determine which of these acres are best suited for conservation practices, and which practices fit the goals of the producer.

The Farm Progress Report uses data collected from SnapPlus to determine a farm’s impact on water quality and carbon sequestration potential. Using graphs and charts, the Farm Progress Report shows producers how their farm’s impact compares to those in their community, which fields have the highest sediment and phosphorus runoff, and how much carbon is sequestered on their farm.

Data requirements, meetings, and incentive rates also differ between the two incentive programs.

Pheasants Forever is currently seeking producers who are interested in taking the next step in conservation and are committed to implementing conservation or habitat practices in their fields.

While Precision Ag Farm Business Planning is offered at no cost to producers, to receive incentive payments, producers must implement alternative management/conservation practices on at least 1% of analyzed acres.

Contact Information

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance

Project Management

Katie Woodrow
(920) 915-5767
┃katie@fwwa.org

Tim Burns
(920) 841-0104
┃tim@fwwa.org

Wisconsin Farmers Union

Underserved & Small Producer Project Outreach

Erin Lenninger
(715) 382-0341
┃elenninger@wisconsinfarmersunion

Pheasants Forever

Precision Ag Farm Business Planning & Wildlife Plantings

Johnny Behrendt
(331) 201-1496
┃jbehrendt@pheasantsforever.org

Have a question?

Need help enrolling? Maybe a question about eligibility? Confused about program requirements?

Fill out the Contact Us form and we will get back to you as soon as we can!