Soil Health

The Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District will hold its 80th annual meeting Jan. 16 at the Pontiac Elks Club.

Corn crops have a voracious appetite for nitrogen.

Balancing fertility input costs in times of lower commodity prices can be a conundrum for farmers.

Every growing season, corn and soybean producers have to make numerous management decisions that affect their bottom line.

The legacy of Mike Plumer’s soil conservation work continues to live on through those he taught.

Cade Bushnell received the Randy Stauffer Stewardship Award, recognizing his farm conservation work through the Precision Conservation Management program.

The dairy checkoff has launched the Dairy Conservation Navigator, an online resource hub designed to provide farm advisers, stakeholders and conservation professionals with science-based information on sustainable farming practices and technologies.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service unveiled a new easement option that offers long-term protection of the land and ensures timely transfer of ownership to qualified producers.

Illinois soybean farmers will now have additional assistance with evaluating field data to better implement practices that benefit the environment.

Even amidst the ever-present challenges that are part of farming, we have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

It’s a new day. No more campaign text messages. No more political ads. We open a new chapter and prepare for a new dialogue with a new Congress and new president come January.

The goal of the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition is to help support livestock producers in building profitable, sustainable grazing operations.

Jim Fulton heard concerns about nitrogen leaving cropland and related water quality problems and decided to do something about it after hearing about constructed wetlands.

A constructed wetland designed to receive tile drainage water from 73 acres of corn and soybeans is doing its job of removing nitrates.

While the extended dry, warm fall has made harvest of corn and soybeans smoother for farmers, it also means farmers might have to put the brakes on when it comes to fall fertilizer applications.

As farmers and ranchers, our work is never just about getting the job done, but looking for the best practices and embracing innovation for whatever challenges may lie ahead.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition announced the continuation of its free Pasture Walk series for livestock producers, with upcoming fall dates planned across the state.

With his eight-year commitment to the Army National Guard, Chuck Hanley was able to juggle his agriculture careers with his service.

Farmers for Soil Health empowers farmers to lead the charge in sustainability, putting real money directly into their hands to drive change where it matters most — at the farm level.

Participation in the Precision Conservation Management program continues to grow and farmers can still sign up for the 2024 crop year, as well as 2025.

Farmers and ranchers are leading the way in climate-smart practices that reduce emissions, enrich the soil and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before.

Harvest is on pace for the Rahn family to finish earlier in 2024 than they have in many years.

An Illinois State University organics class toured a farm and milling facility to see up close the field-to-bag process.

The focus at Schoepp Farms LLC is to keep soil and nutrients on the land.

Getting a jump-start on fieldwork in preparation for next year’s planting season can set you up for success, according to AgriGold Agronomist Jacob Gehrls.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced up to $7.7 billion in assistance for fiscal year 2025 to help agricultural and forestry producers adopt conservation practices on working lands.

As you make your way through another busy harvest, it’s important to record your field observations in order to make informed decisions for next year’s product selections.

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership recently accepted four new member organizations into the partnership.

As you make your way through another busy harvest, it’s important to record your field observations in order to make informed decisions for next year’s product selections.

The right tire design and proper tire inflation can help minimize soil compaction and keep your most valuable resource healthy.

Firestone Ag has introduced the high-performing Destination Cart radial tire, providing a heavy-duty grain cart tire designed to support soil health and fluctuating cart weights.

Most consumers are unfamiliar or only slightly familiar with regenerative agriculture, according to the August 2024 Consumer Food Insights Report.

The Illinois Wheat Association Checkoff Committee is circulating petitions for a wheat checkoff program in the state. The proposal calls for a 1.5 cent checkoff per bushel of wheat sold.

It certainly has dried up in a hurry and pastures are showing the ill effects of that. We have had some hot days, but for the most part temperatures have been moderate, so it could have been worse.

Data from seven years of field trials that focus on improved soil and plant health while balancing fertility and whole-system efficiency was highlighted in a recent plot tour.

Working one-on-one with farmers and seeing positive changes across the landscape is what drives Aidan Walton. Walton has served farmers as a Precision Conservation Management specialist since 2021.

Richard Lyons of Harvel is the recipient of the 2024 Illinois Leopold Conservation Award.

A new Land Use Change Initiative is leading efforts to resolve inconsistencies in definitions, metrics and methodologies for quantifying land use change.

Agrivoltaics works and it is going to keep growing in the United States.

A Natural Resources Conservation Service display brought the field to the Illinois State Fair. The tabletop display demonstrated the interaction between water and soils with different characteristics and management practices.

I’ve been busy with the granddaughters’ fair schedule of showing. The oldest one can now drive, so that helps a lot, but grandpa still drives the truck and trailer to the shows.

The Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition announced two upcoming grazing schools: Sept. 6-7 in Macomb and Sept. 13-14 in Creal Springs.

For the third year in a row, Hoosier farmers broke a record for the number of conservation practices in the state, according to the Conservation Tillage Transect survey.

Three central Illinois farm families were honored for their conservation agriculture efforts.

The Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District’s Women in Ag Meeting: Ideas Inc. — How to Add Conservation to Your Land will be held Aug. 6 in Pontiac.

American Farmland Trust and ADM are launching the next season of a program that supports Illinois farmers and the environment.

As farmers, we know that healthy soil is an important foundation for everything we grow. It is critical to productivity.

During my travels, one question seems to be always popping up, one which many producers are not sure of answers. That is: What is regenerative agriculture?

Picture this: a world without fresh strawberries, watermelon or apples. Pretty gloomy, right? Thankfully, we have bees and other pollinators who are responsible for the fertilization of many fruits, vegetables and nuts.

The story of the newly married couple and their dream of continuing the family farming legacy is a tale of determination and resilience in the face of challenges.