• Cost-share programs are available for farmers involved in land conservation practices and nutrient management initiatives.
• N-Serve® and Instinct® nitrogen stabilizers can qualify for cost-share programs for first-time users.
Around the country, statewide cost-share programs are assisting farmers by helping offset costs for investing in responsible practices that are proven to protect water quality and preserve valuable farmland. For decades, many farmers have been involved in these programs, and the widespread adoption of many in-field practices has proven to make a difference.
Installing buffer strips along stream banks to filter runoff and planting cover crops to absorb nutrients, as well as adjusting nitrogen fertilizing practices, are all successful practices used by many farmers. In addition, countless farmers have found N-Serve® and Instinct® nitrogen stabilizers reduce nitrogen loss and help maximize nitrogen crop uptake efficiency. By keeping nitrogen available in the soil longer for crops to use, N-Serve and Instinct help farmers preserve soil health, protect water quality, maximize yield and enhance their bottom line.
Money Savings May Await
Farmers can benefit through a variety of cost-share programs that can help offset costs of implementing many conservation and nutrient management practices. Nitrogen stabilizers including N-Serve and Instinct often qualify for cost-share programs through initiatives sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. In addition, in select states, farmers can receive a per-acre rebate if they use N-Serve for the first time with an anhydrous ammonia application.
It is important for farmers to understand that voluntary conservation practices do work. Best management practices, such as nutrient management plans, increase in usage through outreach, education and incentives. For example, Illinois farmers’ use of N-Serve for fall-applied nitrogen resulted in cutting nutrient loss by 4.3 million pounds per year.*
Farmers are encouraged to check with their local state governmental agencies to see if cost-share incentives are available to them for implementing or adopting nitrogen management practices, including possible rebates for first-time nitrogen stabilizer users. Go to nrcs.usda.gov to learn more about programs in your state.
*Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Final Report. Distributed through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The impact of nitrification inhibitors was estimated at 4.3 million pounds per year of reduced nitrate-nitrogen losses. Assumptions included: Using an inhibitor for fall-applied nitrogen will result in a 10 percent per-acre reduction in loss (Iowa, 2013); 50 percent of the nitrogen in the northern two-thirds of Illinois (MLRAs 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7) is applied in the fall; and 50 percent of that nitrogen currently includes an inhibitor. These assumptions came from analysis of fertilizer sales information, surveys and discussions with industry representatives. The related cost is $2.33/pound removed.
