2026 PCM Webinar Series
Join Precision Conservation Management (PCM) for our webinar series, featuring insights from leading agricultural experts on the topics that matter most to you right now. Building on the success of our 2025 series, PCM continues delivering timely, relevant content that combines data-driven insights with practical farm management strategies.
Throughout the year, our expert presenters - including PCM Director Greg Goodwin, Operations Manager Clay Bess, Dr. Laura Gentry of IL Corn and University of Illinois, and Professor Dr. Gary Schnitkey - will address the most pressing issues facing farmers today. Drawing from PCM's extensive database of real-world farming practices, topics will be selected approximately one month before each session to ensure we're covering what's most valuable and timely for your operation.
Each bi-monthly session offers practical strategies to improve your bottom line while promoting sustainable agriculture. Join us to learn how PCM's data-driven approach can transform your farming operation, combining profitability with conservation while accessing valuable opportunities.
October 6, Tuesday
December 1, Tuesday
Farmer Mental Health – Cultivating Caution
The pressures of farming - financial stress, weather uncertainty, equipment failures, and the relentless pace of harvest - can push farmers and farm families to their breaking point. This session covers how to recognize the warning signs of extreme stress, anxiety, and mental health crisis in yourself and others, practical de-escalation techniques that family members, neighbors, and coworkers can use, and how law enforcement approaches mental health crisis calls in rural settings. Attendees will also leave with a clear list of local and statewide mental health resources specifically available to farm families in Illinois.
First Look at the ARC/PLC Decision for 2026
The Farm Service Agency has officially opened the enrollment period for the 2026 Commodity program decision with a deadline of December 11th, 2026. Nick Paulson and Henrique Monaco will offer this webinar to cover the final payments from the 2025 program year and discuss considerations and provide guidance on the ARC/PLC program decision for 2026.
Manure Pit Gases – Cultivating Caution
Each fall, manure pit agitation and pump-outs create one of the deadliest hazards on any livestock operation. This session covers the specific gases - including hydrogen sulfide, methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide - produced during agitation and why they are so dangerous even in brief exposures, why strict perimeter security and the removal of all people and animals from the area is non-negotiable during pump-outs, and why fire and rescue departments cannot safely enter a pit environment without Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) gear - and what that means for response capabilities and timelines if something goes wrong.
2026 Illinois Farm Economics Summit
Monday December 14 – Mt Vernon
Tuesday December 15 – Sherman
Wednesday December 16 – Peoria
Thursday December 17 – Dekalb