Recent News

ISAP Publishes 2022 Annual Report

ISAP is excited to announce the publication of the 2022 Annual Report highlighting efforts to advance conservation agriculture across Illinois and expand the collective efforts to improve soil health and water quality through partnership, collaboration, and consistent messaging. The 2022 Annual Report shares updates from another eventful and successful year for ISAP. The Partnership hosted our biennial Risk Management Conference,...

Central Illinois Farmers Share Cover Crop Termination Techniques

During ICCON’s March cover crop call, the Network hosted a panel of cover crop farmers who shared their strategies for cover crop termination and how covers are used as a management tool for their cash crops. Three Central Illinois farmers – Jim Isermann, Pete Fandel, and Frank Rademacher – gave an overview of their operations, presenting three models for how...

Understanding Cover Crop Classifications, Seed Selection, and Mixes

This article is part of a series on cover crop species selection by ISAP’s Soil Health Specialist, Jim Isermann. The first article provided a general introduction to cover crops and highlighted important considerations for determining which cover crops will be the best addition to a cropping system and a specific farmer’s operation, and future articles will focus on individual cover...

Berseem Clover Provides Cover Benefits and Forage Opportunities

On February 8th, the Illinois Cover Crop On-Farm Network (ICCON) was joined by Dr. Kim Cassida, Extension Specialist for Forages and Cover Crops for Michigan State University to discuss Berseem clover. This was the final call in ICCON’s winter series focused on New and Emerging Cover Crops. Dr. Cassida shared her knowledge of Berseem clover based on her research trials...

ISAP Soil Health Specialist Offers Advice on Cover Crop Species Selection

Let’s look at cover crop species selection: Even though we commonly hear about farmers being encouraged to plant “cover crops”, cover crops are not one single species or crop. Anyone following the conservation movement has heard of at least a few of the different options available: Cereal rye, Tillage Radishes, Crimson Clover, and perhaps you remember someone in your family...

ISAP Training Graduate Brings Expertise to Lake Springfield Watershed RCPP

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership has launched an interactive Conservation Story Map to showcase sustainable agriculture efforts across the state and tell the stories of farmers, service providers, conservation specialists, ongoing research, and demonstration sites that are successfully adopting, exploring, or promoting conservation cropping systems and conservation drainage management. The ISAP Specialist Network is made up of conservation advocates who...