2016 Spring Farm Outlook

2016 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine

Lincoln Daily

March 24, 2016 33

Monitoring station sites have been chosen and

data collected will be used to establish baseline

information, then to monitor nutrient load limits,

trends and anticipated improvements.

What this means for central Illinois farmers is

that you now need to become even more savvy in

your production methods. Those who are always

conscientious about environmental impacts and

have been practicing conservation methods for

years are well ahead of the curve. For those who

have not been paying attention, you probably dread

tax day too, and that day is here, well almost.

But don’t worry, you will find many resources,

including your fellow farmer that have been

striving at conservation practices and can help you

get there quickly. Any direction you turn today,

you will find farm managers and crop advisors who

are current in Best Management Practices (BMP’s,)

4 R’s and other strategies.

The good news, and there is an up side: once you

sort out the stewardship practices best suited to

your operations, many of these practices will lead

to reduced fertilizer costs and cover crops that may

even provide income and other benefits for a better

bottom line.

Recommendations and options for better efficacy

of fertilizers, and reduction of soil and nutrient

losses in crop production:

• Get soil samples to determine specific soil needs

[Agricultural sources fall into the category nonpoint

source, defined as pollution that generally results from

land runoff, precipitation, atmospheric deposition,

drainage, seepage or hydrologic modification.

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from

industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from

many diffuse sources. As the runoff moves, it picks up

and carries away natural and human-made pollutants,

finally depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands,

coastal waters and ground waters.]

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