To be the respected leaders in education and motivating those innovators who conserve our natural resources for the present and future generations.
(309) 342-5138 ext. 3
State of Illinois Conservation Programs
SWCDs in Illinois have numerous partnerships, state agencies included.
Partners For Conservation Program
The PFC Program is a IDOA led program that provides cost-share assistance and other financial incentives for projects that conserve soil, protect water quality and reduce flooding.
Some projects include; Water and Sediment Control Basins, Terraces, No Till/Strip-Till systems, Waterways, Grade Stabilization Structures, Sealing Abandoned Water Wells, Contour Farming Establishment, Contour Buffer Strip Establishment. Cover Crops, Temporary Cover, Critical Area Planting, Filter Strips, Diversions, Pollinator Habitat, Pastureland and Hayland Planting.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
Conservation Reserve Enhancement program (CREP) is an enhanced version of the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The CREP Program is a Federal, State and Local partnership designed to retire frequently flooded and environmentally sensitive cropland to achieve restoration and long-term protection. In Illinois, landowners implement conservation practices in the eligible CREP watersheds to reduce sedimentation and nutrients, improve water quality, and to create and enhance critical habitat for fish and wildlife populations.
IL Environmental Protection Agency &
IL Department of Agriculture
Illinois NLRS, released on July 21, 2015, is a framework for using science, technology and industry experience to assess and reduce nutrient loss to Illinois waters and the Gulf of Mexico.
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Odette Menard’s simple rules for improving soil health
Cover and feed the soil at all times.
Keep organic layer on top for macrofauna to feed on.
Keep roots in the soil.
Rethink and redesign rotations.
Reduce or eliminate tillage.
Plan a strategy.
Understand your system and know the impact of what you are doing to the soil.
Get into cover crops.
Remember that brown is bad, gold is good, and green is great.
Look at things differently and don’t be afraid to have crazy ideas.
Public Act 89-606
Through the efforts of soil and water conservation districts, legislation was approved and signed into law effective on January 1, 1997, which provides for tax incentives for the development of vegetative filter strips. Vegetative filter strips are a proven conservation practice which can aid in reducing soil erosion, improve water quality, and provide significant habitat for grassland wildlife. Soil and water conservation districts play a primary role in working with local landowners to access this tax incentive.
The Vegetative Filter Strip Assessment Law provides for a reduction in the assessed value of cropland certified as meeting the requirements of the law to 1/6th of its productivity index equalized assessed value as cropland.
