Recent News

ICCON Discusses NLRS Challenges and Feasibility of Achieving Interim Goals

During the January ICCON call, the network had the pleasure of hosting Adrienne Marino, Water Quality Program Manager at the Nature Conservancy in Illinois. Marino shared a comprehensive overview of the 2023 Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) Biennial Report, shedding light on the state's progress and challenges. The NLRS was initiated in response to the 2008 Gulf Hypoxia Action...

Champaign County Farm Recognized for Dedication to Land Stewardship

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) was a proud sponsor of the 2023 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award, an award program sponsored by the Sand County Foundation that recognizes and celebrates extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation by agricultural landowners.  Rademacher Farms was selected as a 2023 Leopold Conservation Award Finalist in Illinois. Frank Rademacher farms about 600 acres with his dad, Eric,...

Four Decades of No-Till is Paying Off for Vermilion County Farmer Jean Stewart

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership was a proud sponsor of the 2023 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award, an award program that recognizes and celebrates extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation by agricultural landowners. The profile of 2023 Award Finalist, Jean Stewart, below was originally published by American Farmland Trust and can be viewed on their website.    https://youtu.be/EWWAdGGK780?si=GI2ZVKvXqq6mdgtd “A good farmer is a...

ISAP Releases NLRS Overview for Farmers and Farm Advisors

In 2015, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) released the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS). The strategy quantified nutrient loads from multiple sources and set aggressive reduction targets for the amounts of nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) and total phosphorus (TP) leaving the state. The strategy laid out best practices to achieve reductions, including interim reductions...

ISAP Publishes “Introduction to Soil Health Practices” for Illinois Farmers

Bloomington, Ill. –The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership has published a new resource for Illinois farmers and farm advisors which clearly communicates the role of soil health practices in addressing agronomic challenges and resource concerns. ISAP’s “Introduction to Soil Health Practices” identifies and explains the cause of several conditions that often lead to common resource or agronomic concerns for farmers, including...

Conservation Practices Play an Integral Role on Douglas County Farm

Tony Stierwalt farms about 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans with his dad, Bill, in Pesotum, Illinois using strip-till, no-till, and cover crops in his system. Tony is the fifth generation on both sides of his family to farm. Like many farm kids before him, Tony grew up helping out on the family farm wherever he could and participated in...