“Conservation has always been a part of what my family’s done, so that’s kind of always been part of my DNA,” shares Brian Corkill who grows corn and soybeans on 1,000 acres near Galva, Illinois.
Brian’s family moved away from the moldboard plow in the late 1970s and began no-tilling in the early eighties. “So now I’m trying to take it to the next level as I take over the farm and am the primary decision maker for the farming operation.”
By implementing practices like no-till and cover crops, Brian has seen substantial improvement in the soil health on his farm and has been able to reduce the amount of fertilizer he’s applying to his fields. “We haven’t completely eliminated applying commercial fertilizer,” Brian acknowledges, “but we’ve been able to drastically scale back what we would have put on in the past.”
Brian’s in-field practices are reducing soil and nutrient loss from his fields, but Brian hasn’t stopped there. In his own words, “every little bit helps when it comes to nutrient loss reduction.” In 2020, Brian installed his first woodchip bioreactor in partnership with Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (ILICA), University of Illinois, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Factors like the type of wood and size of woodchip can impact the nutrient removal efficiency of a woodchip bioreactor.
In a woodchip bioreactor, tile-drained water is routed to a woodchip-filled trench which removes nitrates through the denitrification process. Bioreactors can reduce nitrate levels by 25% in tile-drained water, according to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Brian worked with researchers from University of Illinois to collect monthly water samples which measured how effectively the bioreactor reduced nitrates leaving the bioreactor compared to the levels of nitrates in the tile drainage water entering the bioreactor.

The trench was dug according to NRCS specifications and then lined with plastic. The tile drainage lines are re-routed through trench before it is filled with woodchips.
In 2024, Brian installed a second bioreactor in partnership with the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership and UI Extension. When asked why he’s chosen to install edge of field practices on his farm, Brian says “if we can make an impact to help the environment, that’s what we should do. It is not necessarily all about the return on investment; it’s about making an impact on the environment and leaving things better than when I got here.”
Brian installed his first bioreactor through cost-share provided by the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the second through financial incentives offered through One Good Idea and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Fishers & Farmers Partnership Program. Brian acknowledges that most farmers are not interested in paying out of pocket to install these practices, but he says, “if you are truly interested in doing something like this, there is funding available out there.” ISAP’s Financial INcentive Database, or FIND Tool, makes it easy to sort through dozens of financial incentive programs in Illinois to find one that works best for your farm and conservation goals.
“Illinois farmers obviously play a huge role in keeping Illinois waterways clean and safe,” Brian reflects. “Any practices we can do to help, I think that’s what we need to do. We need to do our part.”

The 9′ x 36′ bioreactor is filled with woodchips to filter tile drainage water through denitrification.
Learn more about Brian and get in touch by visiting his profile on ISAP’s Conservation Story Map.