Recent News
Balancing Management with Profitability: Impacts of Tillage and Nutrient Management on Soybean Performance in the Midwest
As spring approaches, many in the Illinois ag community are thinking about soil moisture, or lack thereof, with approximately two-thirds of the state under moderate to severe drought conditions as of February 3. Although we still have at least a couple months for spring rains to come before most farmers in the state will be thinking about planting, current conditions...
Leveraging Ag Retail for Successful Conservation Programming
Ag retail is an integral part of the local agriculture supply chain, providing the products, services, and advice that farming operations rely on. Given this relationship, ag retailers can be an incredible ally in conservation efforts, but it’s important for conservation ag professionals to understand how and when to bring them into a project and how best to support them....
Communicating Edge-of-Field Practices: Turning Awareness into Action
Communicating Edge-of-Field Practices: Turning Awareness into Action The Illinois Conservation On-Farm Network (ICON) hosted Dr. Jacqueline Comito from Iowa State University and Scott James from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the final webinar of 2025. Guest speakers shared research and practical tips for effectively communicating about edge-of-field (EoF) practices. Edge of Field Practices – Essential, but Under-utilized Across...
Soil Health Leadership Program Graduates 19 Trainees
On December 10th, 2025 in Bloomington, Illinois, ISAP hosted the final Soil Health Leadership Program (SHLP) session and proudly celebrated the accomplishments of 19 outstanding individuals—farmers, advisors, and conservation professionals—who completed SHLP. Over the past 18 months, these individuals traveled across Illinois to participate in intensive, hands-on sessions dedicated to advancing their soil health knowledge. Participants...
Perennial Systems for Diversified Benefit Streams
Perennial agriculture is not as straightforward as annual row crop commodities, especially in Illinois, but can be an innovative approach to landscape design that has the ability to provide benefits to the farmer and the environment. Before getting started with planting perennials on your farm, there are certainly going to be lots of questions. Some of these questions may be...
Return on Investment for Conservation Drainage
On November 12, the Illinois Conservation On-Farm Network (ICON) hosted Isaac Ferrie of Crop Tech Consulting and Ben Reinhart of Ecosystem Services Exchange for a discussion on conservation drainage practices that deliver multiple benefits for producers. While several options exist for tile-drained landscapes, such as saturated buffers and bioreactors, the spotlight for this webinar was on controlled drainage, also known...