Soil conservation refers to the practice of protecting and managing soil resources to prevent soil erosion, degradation, and loss of fertility. Various techniques and strategies are used to help ensure a sustainable use of soil for agricultural, ecological, and environmental purposes.
What is soil conservation? Read More »
This year the US Department of the Interior has granted over $50 million for conservation projects and wildlife refuges, which will be matched by partners and amounts to over $146 million. This will help either conserve or restore over 240 thousand acres (about the area of San Antonio, Texas!) of wetland and upland.
There is a multitude of reasons for you as a farmer or landowner to enroll in CREP. Adding value to your land, improving water quality, preventing land erosion, just to name a few. Over 90% of land in Illinois is privately owned, making it very important for programs such as these to exist.
How Illinois Landowners Can Enroll in CREP Read More »
Reinstated in 2022, CREP is a voluntary Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program that falls under CRP. Learn all about CREP in Illinois and what you as a farmer or landowner need to know.
What Do Illinois Farmers Need to Know About CREP? Read More »
Developed by the USDA as a part of CRP, the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program is a federally funded initiative designed to preserve grasslands across the country. Specifically, the program was established to ensure that environmentally sensitive grassland, or other land of significant value, is conserved rather than farmed. In 2022, over 3.1 million acres of
What is the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program? Read More »
As part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative is designed to enhance important wildlife habitat to achieve local conservation goals. SAFE is a component of CRP that specifically focuses on working with private landowners to convert their land into valuable wildlife habitat. For the environment, the land,
The Benefits of the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative Read More »
In 2022, Illinois reinstated the statewide Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) as a division of the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Along with the general conservation and restoration goals of CRP, CREP focuses on specific goals for each state. Upon its return, the Illinois CREP released a number of guidelines and requirements for landowners interested
The Goals of the Illinois Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Read More »
In the bioenergy sector, biochar is quickly becoming recognized for its promising impact on climate change. As a type of carbon-rich charcoal, biochar is produced through a process called pyrolysis, where organic matter is heated without the use of oxygen. Typically used as a soil amendment to increase the health and fertility of the soil,
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Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced recently that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin applying for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup starting February 27 through April 7, 2023. What is the CRP? The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that helps agricultural producers
CRP Signup Starts Feb. 27th – April 7th 2023 Read More »
As solar energy development increases across the US, some farmers are concerned about the amount of land being utilized. While solar energy is a promising source of renewable energy, it does take a portion of land to produce. In the Midwest especially, landowners are growing uneasy about the idea of solar farms taking over or
How Much Land Does Solar Energy Use? Read More »
