IDOA LAUNCHES NEW CPRG-CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE PROGRAM

Applications accepted starting October 27, 2025, with opportunity for pre-enrollment

SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) and the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) have announced $67 million in funding to offer cost-share/financial incentives to producers and landowners who will implement no-till or strip-till starting in the fall of 2025.

The intent of the program is to promote the implementation of no-till and strip-till via the Partners for Conservation (PFC) Program and the State of Illinois Priority Climate Action Plan.

"No-till and strip till practices improve soil health, reduce erosion and runoff, and lower long-term input costs," said IDOA Director Jerry Costello II. "We appreciate the state and federal partnerships that bring grant funding to encourage conservation of Illinois' fertile farmland."

Pre-enrollment and applications are available online. Visit the IDOA website at agr.illinois.gov/ and select the CPRG Climate Smart Agriculture Program link on the home page.

The payment rate for each of the three (3) consecutive years of the program is $35 per acre, on the same field(s) each year.

IDOA will select applications on a first come, first served basis per county, such that the first application per county will be prioritized up to a 3,000-acre cap per application, pending qualification and verification. If there are remaining program funds after the first application per county is verified, the second application per county will be prioritized up to a 3,000-acre cap per application, pending qualification and verification, and so on. IDOA may establish and implement a lower acreage cap, if needed, to accommodate at least one application per county.

IDOA will verify applications and respective acreage, and local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) staff will check selected applicants' USDA Farm Bill eligibility, work with applicants on conservation planning, verify practice implementation, and assist with payment and reporting documents. Program viability is subject to availability of federal funds.

A copy of the CCC-902, FSA Subsidiary Report and Producer Farm Data or proof of control of the land will be needed, if the applicant is selected.

Acres must not be currently enrolled in other state, federal or private programs to implement No-till or Strip-till (e.g. EQIP, CSP, or any other program that may include state or federal funds), and applicants must have control of the land for the life of the program.

The State of Illinois has been awarded a grant that totals more than $430 million to implement its Climate Pollution Reduction Grant plan. The grant will fund projects in five priority areas: Accelerating Clean & Efficient Building Adoption; Deploying Clean Transportation & Freight; Kick-starting Industry Decarbonization; Expanding Climate-Smart Agriculture; and Keeping Clean Power Goals on Track. The projects together will reduce more than 57 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next 25 years.