2023 Spring Farm Outlook

Page 15 2023 Logan County Spring Farm Outlook LINCOLN DAILY NEWS March 2023 According to the department of Agriculture, recommended activities target the state’s most critical watersheds. Such efforts require collaboration between state and federal agencies, cities, non-profits, and technical experts on issues such as water quality monitoring, funding, and outreach. For farmers, this means being aware of the excess nitrogen and phosphorus that drains out of their fields. The NLRS lists nutrient pollution as a “major threat” to waterways in Illinois. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus carried in runoff from city streets and farm fields or flowing out of wastewater treatment plants can fuel algae blooms. At home, nutrient pollution can also lower property values, hinder recreation, and degrade drinking water quality. This means that nutrient runoff is not just a problem for local waterways. Illinois waterways join up with others along the Mississippi River, which eventually leads to the Gulf of Mexico. It may not seem like much on a local level, but all of that potential damage can cause serious problems down the line, and even negatively affect other parts of the world. To help protect waterways, Illinois works with eleven other states in the Mississippi River basin to continue to develop strategies to reduce nutrient pollution. Currently, the NLRS is working on their Biennial Report Survey for 2022, with draft reviews scheduled for June and July. Another priority listed in this portion of the IEC platform reads: “supports fully and permanently funding the Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program and the Partners for Conservation Fund.” The first of these, the Fall Covers Program, is offered by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA). Applications for the program closed in January, and are open every year. According the IDOA website: “[The] Cover Crop Premium Discount Program is offered for acres of cover crops installed outside of state and federal program incentives (e.g., EQIP, CSP and state cost share).” The IDOA spells out their definition of a cover crop for the purposes of the program. They define a cover crop as “a non- grain harvestable, non- insurable conservation/ agronomic practice seeded in the fall to protect and improve soil and water quality.” Continued --