BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Farmers and the agricultural research community are coming together once again to highlight soil and water conservation practices during upcoming Summer Nutrient Stewardship Field Days.

Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) and its membership will host a series of field days across Illinois focused on soil health, water quality, cover crop management, and other agricultural conservation practices. The field days are funded through IFB’s Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program.

“Soil health and water quality remain top of mind for Illinois farmers, who are constantly building upon past research and finding new strategies to preserve our natural resources for generations,” said Lauren Lurkins, IFB director of environmental policy. “Field days are the perfect opportunity for farmers to share best practices and collaborate with community partners supporting conservation efforts.”

Farmers across the state, as well as those interested in learning more about agriculture’s role in supporting the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS), are invited to join IFB and its partnering organizations to learn more about past and current Illinois conservation practices and research.

A schedule for 2023 Summer Field Days is listed below with dates, addresses, hosting county Farm Bureaus (CFBs) and brief summaries of each event.

2023 Summer Nutrient Stewardship Field Days Schedule:

2023 Summer Nutrient Stewardship Field Days Project Summaries:

Sangamon CFB — June 8

• Collaborative efforts are an emphasis of the NLRS as an essential venture to meet state and regional nutrient reduction goals. Sangamon CFB will highlight edge-of-field practices and ongoing projects through the Woodchip Bioreactor Partnership (IFB, Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association (ILICA), National Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), and University of Illinois (U of I); and the Saturated Buffer Partnership (IFB, ILICA, USDA-NRCS, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). These partnerships were developed to meet common goals: implement and monitor conservation best management practices (BMPs) and provide education outreach. Join Sangamon CFB to hear from several ag engineering and BMP construction experts, university researchers, and others about ongoing edge-of-field practice implementation and monitoring efforts. Attendees will be transported between a saturated buffer and a woodchip bioreactor to see the practices on the ground.

Fulton CFB — June 20

• For many years, IFB and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) have been working together to bridge the gap between point source and nonpoint source stakeholder interests and identify areas of collaboration. For 2023, IFB and MWRDGC, as well partners from the University of Illinois (U of I), Fulton and Cook County Farm Bureaus (CFB), and National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), will host a field day focused on highlighting research and collaborative partnerships that are making contributions to the NLRS and federal nutrient reduction goals. Join to learn about agricultural nutrient research, wastewater treatment plant efforts, and how stakeholders are collaborating on numerous nutrient stewardship initiatives.

Piatt, DeWitt & Macon CFB — July 12

• For several years, Piatt, Macon and Dewitt CFBs, among many other community partners, have worked to support Lake Decatur Watershed improvement efforts. This work includes supporting a USDA-NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) proposal, which was awarded to the city of Decatur in August 2022. As this project launches in 2023, partners are coming together for a field day to learn more about the RCPP and the efforts local stakeholders can expect in the coming years. Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) staff, including the state climatologist and state hydrologist, will also present on relevant water quality and climate research. Join to learn about the Lake Decatur RCPP as it launches locally and hear from ISWS on current climate and water quality research taking place.

Jo Daviess CFB — July 21

• Jo Daviess CFB is committed to evaluating nutrient loss reduction and soil health practices, as well as providing outreach to area farmers. Through the help of a local host farmer and several community partners, several trials evaluating cover crop and nutrient management practices have taken place for several years. In addition to hearing from the CFB and its partners, Mitchell Hora, founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, will join to provide a keynote presentation focused on providing an overview of regenerative agriculture and recommended best practices.

Clinton CFB — July 29

• For several years, Clinton CFB has supported a multi-component cover crop and manure management project, evaluating soil health, nutrient use efficiency, return on investment and more. The July field day will focus on sharing results from this year’s plot with producers, as well as providing information on how to get started with cover crops. In addition to hearing from the CFB and several partners, Mitchell Hora, founder and CEO of Continuum Ag, will join to provide a keynote presentation focused on providing an overview of regenerative agriculture and recommended best practices. Join Clinton CFB and its partners to learn about the cover crop research taking place in Clinton County and information about top considerations for producers who are interested in implementing cover crops and other nutrient management strategies.

LaSalle CFB — Aug. 15

• For several years, LaSalle County Farm Bureau (CFB) has supported numerous areas of nutrient stewardship education and outreach, including hosting field days and other events. This year, the CFB, as well as several researchers from the University of Illinois (U of I) will join to highlight emerging field of biologicals and genetic technology in agriculture. Field day attendees can expect to learn about biological functions and Nitrogen cycling for crop nutrition, as well as the potential of other emerging technologies for reducing nutrient losses.

Wayne CFB — August 24

• As part of their ongoing nutrient stewardship project, Wayne CFB is continuing to sponsor a Nutrient Loss Inhibitor Demonstration (NLID) plot at Fred Blessing’s farm to demonstrate fertilizer efficiency and economics. The overarching goals of this project include demonstrating the efficacy of various nutrient uptake enhancers and nutrient loss inhibitors available to farmers, as well as showing how farmers and retailers are working together to research practices that can help reduce nutrient loss reduction goals. The August field day will include presentations from several community partners, as well as a keynote presentation, and will focus on updating attendees on the ongoing project and sharing results from the plot.

The 2023 Nutrient Stewardship Field Days are funded through IFB’s Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program. The program, now in its eighth year, distributed $150,000 in 2023 to 23 CFBs that will collaborate on 17 projects to further Illinois water and soil conservation efforts.

“Illinois Farm Bureau and our agriculture and environmental partners continue to work toward the state’s Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy goals,” said Raelynn Parmely, IFB environmental program manager. “Field days not only allow farmers to share their work with researchers and other organizations, but they are also a great opportunity to invite the public to learn more about conservation efforts in agriculture and beyond.”

The NLRS, released by the Illinois Department of Agriculture and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in 2015, is a roadmap for wastewater treatment plants and urban and agriculture stakeholders to reduce the loss of nitrate-nitrogen by 15% and total phosphorus by 25% into Illinois waterways by 2025. The eventual target is a 45% reduction in the loss of these nutrients to the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico.

For more information on upcoming field days or to browse past events, visit www.ilfb.org/FieldDays.

About the Illinois Farm Bureau
The Illinois Farm Bureau is a member of the American Farm Bureau Federation, a national organization of farmers and ranchers. Founded in 1916, IFB is a non-profit, membership organization directed by farmers who join through their county Farm Bureau. IFB has a total membership of more than 372,326 and a voting membership of 77,462. IFB represents three out of four Illinois farmers.

— Illinois Farm Bureau