Recent News
IFES 2018: Management and Conservation in the Face of Lower Returns
To view the official presentation and blog post please click here. Last year, Dale Lattz, Gary Schnitkey and Nick Paulson, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois, examined what made some farms more profitable than others. One of the traits of more profitable farms was that they had lower costs, suggesting that those more profitable farms may have used...
A Smart Move for Illinois Farmers
A Smart Move for Illinois Farmers If you asked an Illinois farmer if they would consider building a wetland as part of their tile-drainage system, their likely response would be: “Why would I want to do that?” That reaction is not a surprise given that it was tile-drainage-adoption that enabled producers in the upper Midwest to plant crops into the...
Partnership Effort Adding Money to the Cover Crop Equation: PCM
PepsiCo, Mars Petcare, The Nature Conservancy, and The Illinois Council of Best Management Practices all have their individual sustainability goals and are offering cost share incentives to farmers in Illinois. Mars and Pepsi’s main goal is to lower their greenhouse gas emissions and believe cover crops are one solution towards achieving this. They committed support toward their sourcing regions (Vermilion...
Timing is everything, good cover crop management starts with appropriate seeding dates
Timing of cover crop planting is essential for achieving your goals and getting the most biological and economical value out of the cover crop species you have selected to meet them. That is equally true when we talk about planting cover crops in the fall ahead of corn or soybeans. Each cover crop species can provide its own unique benefits...
LICA to join the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership
The Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (ILICA) is a not-for-profit, trade association that provides contractors education, business, and legislative resources. ILICA encourages high standards of workmanship in resource management & land improvement; provides contractors education on the newest technology, practices, standards, regulation, and legislation impacting the industry; and gives contractors the necessary business resources and tools to provide their companies...
ISAP Seeks Facilitators to Lead Farmer-to-Farmer Peer Networks
For the adoption of soil health management systems to become widespread and sustained, local technical assistance and mentorship is needed to guide producers over the multiple hurdles that come with implementing no-till/strip till, cover crops, and adaptive nutrient management successfully and profitably. ISAP is seeking applications for facilitators to establish and support peer networks across Illinois, to bring farmers together...