Farmer
Resources
You Are Always the Decision Maker.
We know that no two farms are the same, and that no one knows your fields better than you. This is why we are not prescriptive about the conservation practices you implement. Our field team collaborates with farmers to assess opportunities based on your operation’s needs and challenges. We are here to support you throughout the entire process at no cost.
The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund aims to provide a simple and transparent process:
Farmer contracts have one-year terms. The decision to re-enroll in subsequent years lies with you.
Payment estimates are provided prior to contract signing.
Once a contract is signed, payments are made in two installments: 50% is paid prior to verification, and 50% is paid afterward.
The final payment is guaranteed to farmers as long as they implement the conservation practices outlined in the contract.
As an independent program, we don’t require farmers to have any other type of customer relationship with us.
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How our Farmer Enrollment and Payment Process Works
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STEP 1:
Use our farmer web portal to create an account, map your field boundaries, and enter baseline and future cropping system information.
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STEP 2:
Review the proposed payment offering emailed to you within a few days after data submission and decide if you wish to continue and participate.
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STEP 3:
E-sign the contract emailed to you to confirm your participation in the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. An initial 50% of the contract is paid prior to verification.
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STEP 4:
Receive technical assistance from Soil and Water Outcomes Fund field program representatives as needed to implement conservation practices.
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STEP 5:
Receive the remaining 50% payment after your farm’s environmental outcomes are measured and verified, typically in the spring. In 2023, participating farmers received an average payment of $33 per acre.
Learn from SWOF Farmer Success Stories
Find a SWOF Referral Partner Near You!
Looking to improve your farm’s resiliency while earning valuable incentives? Our network of supportive referral partners is made up of farmers, agronomists, and ag industry professionals that are all passionate about sustainable agriculture and preserving farmland for the next generation. Use our locator tool to find a SWOF referral partner near you. Reach out today to get started!
Interested in Joining our Referral Program?
Are you passionate about land and water stewardship and want to make a difference in the agricultural community? Join SWOF’s Referral Program! By partnering with the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, you can play a vital role in expanding our farmer outreach while earning compensation for your efforts. Joining our community referral network and earning a little extra is simple. Use the button to learn more.
Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV)
SWOF uses a combination of models, soil and water sampling, and in-person field visits to quantify results. Our independent verification processes provide an added layer of credibility to our work. We work with third-party experts to validate the results we report, ensuring that our claims are reliable and based on rigorous assessment methodologies.
Our data-driven approach empowers farmers and landowners with valuable insights. We provide clear and detailed data on the outcomes achieved through their conservation initiatives. This helps farmers make informed decisions about land management practices and enables them to maximize the benefits of our programs while improving their bottom line.
Farmer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Preguntas Frecuentes en Español
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To qualify for enrollment, your field must be in an eligible county, you must be willing to adopt at least one new conservation practice, your field must be HEL and Wetlands compliant, and you must create an account through our website to enter past and proposed practice information and field boundaries.
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In general, the more practices you include, the higher outcome payment you will generate. Soil types and baseline practices affect the outcomes, so it is hard to consistently say what each practice yields for an outcome payment. We suggest using both cover crops and either reduced or no tillage.
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You still need to add at least one additional conservation practice. We suggest breaking down your operation field by field and decide if there is a practice you can add.
— Are you using cover crops before both corn and soybeans? If you are only seeding a cover crop ahead of your soybeans, you could add it in front of your corn as well.
— Can you add an extended rotation? If you could add diversity to your corn/soybean rotation, that would be considered a change.
— Is 100% of your operation using no-till and cover crops? If not, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund would be a fit for the rest of your fields.
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If you would like to enroll acres, identify which fields you would like to enroll and the types of practices you can add to those fields. A map of geographical areas currently open for enrollment is listed in several places on our site. View the map and get started here.
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The contract is currently one year. You have the option to re-enroll acres each year and/or include more practices. Once a contract is signed, payments are made in two installments: 50% is paid prior to verification, and 50% is paid afterward.
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No, there is not an acre cap per farmer. Enrollment closes once we reach our acre goal for the year.
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Some areas are subject to be incompatible with government programs. Contact your local SWOF representative for details on your area.
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The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund only enrolls acres where there is a guaranteed outcome purchaser. So, as long as farmers are compliant with their contract, payment will be made.
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The environmental outcomes are being purchased by a combination of public and private customers to achieve their sustainability goals - such as scope 3 emission insets - with reduced risk and increasing cost efficiency. Specific customer information will be shared with farmers once the final outcomes payment has been made.
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When compared to other carbon programs, The Soil and Water Outcomes Fund typically has a higher potential payment. This is because we provide compensation to farmers for water quality improvements in addition to carbon (CO2e) outcomes.
In addition, our staff are highly regarded for the degree of hands-on support they provide farmers during the enrollment, practice implementation, and monitoring and verification processes.
Are you thinking of implementing a practice change?
Helpful Reference Documents
2024 SWOF Flyer for Farmers
Folleto SWOF Para Agricultores 2024
Get an overview of how the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund works and find out how US crop producers can generate value and outcomes through participation in the program.
Data & Security
This agreement defines the stewardship, confidentiality terms and responsibilities that govern the data provided to us by farmers and other parties.
Transparency
Transparency is one of the core operating tenets of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund. As part of this commitment, we are publishing key elements of the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund program structure.
Farming Contract Summary
We compiled this document to answer frequently asked questions about the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund Farming Practices Agreement.
Why the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund? (Dubuque County, Iowa Farmers)
Field Verification Process