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How Illinois Landowners Can Enroll in CREP
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.
What Do Illinois Farmers Need to Know About CREP?
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 is the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program?
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
The Benefits of the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative
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 Goals of the Illinois Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
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
Biochar’s Impact on Climate Change
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,