The Colorado Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources (STAR) Program is a free and voluntary tool to inspire producers, give bragging rights, and structure conversations around soil health. STAR is a practice-based rating system that assigns points for the following soil health practices: cropping, tillage, nutrient application, and other best management practices based upon a 10-minute form that producers fill out about each field. As a result, the farmer or rancher receives a STAR rating from 1-5 stars that help them understand how well they are doing in promoting soil health and upholding the 5 principles of soil health: Soil Armor, Minimize Soil DisturbancePlant Diversity, Continual Live Plant/Root, & Livestock Integration.
In partnership with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) as part of the Colorado Soil Health Program, the CSU Extension Agriculture and Business Management (ABM) Team has developed a partial budget tool for managers to compare the costs and returns of alternative soil health plans or evaluate the economic effect of minor adjustments in some portion of the business for a farm or ranch.
Use the links below to complete your partial budget analysis. Start with the video tutorial, and then use the supporting links to download additional materials needed to use the tool. If you need assistance, please contact an ABM Team Member in your area.
