Spring is one of the most consequential times of year for farm decision-making.
Nitrogen rates, tillage plans, planting dates — the choices made in the next few weeks
will shape what your operation looks like come harvest.

Farmers have more data available to them than ever before, but data sitting in a system
doesn’t help your farm business. PCM provides enrolled farmers with an annual
economic breakdown of their own fields, so the numbers you already have start working
as hard as you do.

If you need more reasons to enroll in PCM this year, here’s five:

1. It’s free — and there’s a $750 sign-up bonus

There’s no cost to enroll in PCM, and new participants receive a $750 sign-up bonus
just for joining.

PCM is funded through partnerships with supply chain companies and state commodity
organizations, which means the cost of your data analysis, technical assistance, and
access to cost-share programs is covered. You bring the farm data. We bring everything
else.

2. You don’t have to change anything about how you farm

Participating in PCM does NOT require you to adopt new practices.

Your PCM specialist will analyze your existing field data and deliver an annual
Resource Assessment and Analysis Plan (a personalized breakdown of your farm’s
agronomic, economic, and environmental outcomes). What you do with that information
is entirely up to you.

That said, most farmers who see their own numbers start asking different questions.
And different questions tend to lead to better decisions.

3. Your neighbors are already taking advantage of PCM

PCM currently works with more than 600 farmers across more than 660,000 acres in
Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Missouri. And those farmers find a lot of value in
partnering with PCM:

• 100% of PCM farmers surveyed said they were likely or very likely to continue working with the program.
• 90% said they would recommend it to their neighbors.

4. You get access to 10 years of data — not just your own

When you enroll in PCM, your individual field data is analyzed alongside one of the
most comprehensive farm datasets in the Midwest. Ten years of aggregated,
anonymized data from thousands of fields across Illinois means your RAAP report isn’t
built on assumptions — it’s benchmarked against what’s working on farms in your
region.

If you want to know how your fields compare, enrollment is the first step.

5. Farm decisions are easier when you have someone in your corner

PCM specialists are not salespeople. They don’t represent a seed company, a chemical
company, or a lender. Their job is to help you understand your farm’s data and connect
you with cost-share programs that make conservation practices financially viable.
That means having someone who can walk through your nitrogen timing strategy with
you before planting. Someone who knows which incentive programs are available in
your county this year. Someone who has seen what’s working — and what isn’t —
across hundreds of fields in your region.