Recent News
Approaching Deadline for STAR Field Enrollment
Approaching Deadline for STAR Field Enrollment By: Sarah Blount, Helen VanBeck, & Erin Gundy It’s that time of year again—the weather is cooler, harvest season has ended, and the Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) field form submission deadline is quickly approaching! Enrollment for the STAR 2021 crop year closes on January 31 — complete your field evaluation today to receive...
Prairie Strips Winter Webinar Series
Prairie Strips Winter Webinar Series By: Craig Ficenec, Sand County Foundation Much of Illinois was once covered in a diverse prairie ecosystem: wildlife thrived and water flowed clean. Today, recreating a small fraction of that native vegetation could move us toward our water quality and habitat goals, while improving farm profitability. Sand County Foundation, Pheasants Forever, and Iowa State University...
Introducing Helen VanBeck
Introducing Helen VanBeck Author: Helen VanBeck I grew up far away from the corn fields, in the urban-sprawled, concrete-covered city that is Houston, Texas. During the summers, when my brothers and I would visit our grandparents in Iowa, proudly wearing our Hawkeye gear, I remember being mesmerized by the rows of corn we’d pass on our way in and out of town each day. In...
SMART Wetlands
SMART Wetlands Author: Jean McGuire, Field Outreach Specialist | The Wetlands Inititative What happens when soil, clay, plants, and water are combined using human engineering? Could this combination create smart outcomes for the landscape? Usually, there are concerns when several thousand cubic yards of soil are moved on Illinois croplands. However, in this case, it was done by design to...
Cereal Rye: Late Summer / Fall Seeding Rates For Corn And Soybean Systems
Cereal Rye: Late Summer / Fall Seeding Rates For Corn And Soybean Systems Author: ISAP Soil Health Specialist, Jim Isermann For many farmers, harvest season also can entail seeding time for cover crops. There are many options of cover crops, but as the fall moves on and the calendar page turns, options become limited for most corn and soybean farmers...
More Work Needed to Meet Nutrient Loss Reduction Goals in Illinois
More Work Needed to Meet Nutrient Loss Reduction Goals in Illinois Author: American Farmland Trust Policy Manager, Max Webster Illinois released the third update to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, or NLRS, report to show where progress is being made and where certain challenges persist. In 2015, a policy working group led by the Illinois Water Resource Center-Illinois Indiana Sea Grant,...