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The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction podcast explores efforts to reduce nutrients in Illinois waterways from agricultural runoff to municipal wastewater with host Todd Gleason and producers Rachel Curry, Nicole Haverback and Luke Zwilling with University of Illinois Extension.
Read the blog at extension.illinois.edu/nlr/blog.
Illinois Landowner Conservation Series
Todd Gleason 00:00:00:00 - 00:00:31:26
The Illinois Land Conservation Series information designed for farmland owners in Christian, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt, and Shelby counties here in the state of Illinois to learn about implementing beneficial conservation practices alongside their tenant farmers. Participants will connect with other landowners and learn, as you'll hear in a moment from the experts about how to prioritize conservation, boost soil health, improve wildlife habitat, and so much more.
Todd Gleason 00:00:31:29 - 00:00:43:23
Kate Hanson is the agriculture director for the Isaac Walton League of America. They're working with University of Illinois Extension to provide the Illinois Landowner Conservation series.
Katie Hanson 00:00:43:23 - 00:00:59:08
Really, our target audience is landowners, but we would invite anybody to join us. Specifically landowners in Christian, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt and Shelby counties. So we're going to talk about soil health practices.
Katie Hanson 00:00:59:11 - 00:01:12:01
We're going to have a panel of landowners that have implemented conservation, where folks can do sort of a Q&A with them. Just trying to create some opportunity for conversation and for learning amongst folks in the area.
Todd Gleason 00:01:12:01 - 00:01:18:03
As you were thinking about putting this together, why target the land owners?
Katie Hanson 00:01:18:03 - 00:01:21:28
Yeah. You know, I think landowners are in sort of a unique situation.
Katie Hanson 00:01:21:29 - 00:01:50:06
They have a lot of reasons to care about their ground. And we know, for example, their topsoil and the health of their soil is so critical. You're not, paying for the land as much as you're paying for actually that soil in an agricultural context. And so, we've heard over the years that landowners might want more information, maybe a little bit of idea how to work with their tenant farmers, especially if we're talking about trying something new.
Katie Hanson 00:01:50:08 - 00:02:06:09
And so the idea came about, you know, let's create some opportunities, some surface area for these discussions. And, in a really, sort of welcoming way, you know, here's some of the science, here's some of the experts. But you make the decisions that are best on your ground.
Todd Gleason 00:02:06:11 - 00:02:15:26
This is for landowners who are absentee landowners, or for those who are actually, in the 50/50 operations as well.
Todd Gleason 00:02:15:28 - 00:02:23:23
And I suspect for both, because the landowners would need to think about and care for their soils over time.
Katie Hanson 00:02:23:24 - 00:02:54:24
I think it is both. I think we're designing this particularly for a non operator landowner who maybe, would like to start a little bit more basic level with some of these topics, but it could be anyone. You know, one of the discussions we're going to have is with a gentleman at USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and he's going to be able to talk about what are some of the cost share programs that someone could sign up for to get some financial assistance to do, soil health practices, or maybe put in
Katie Hanson 00:02:54:24 - 00:03:00:22
a buffer or something positive like that. And that type of information is helpful to anyone.
Todd Gleason 00:03:00:24 - 00:03:20:04
Yeah. So these might be just improvements to the land that, the producer or the farmer would welcome, potentially, but that cost money, and are an investment. And you sometimes can manage to figure out how to do that, through cost sharing with U.S. government.
Katie Hanson 00:03:20:05 - 00:03:42:21
Exactly. And when you have a situation, you know, you've got a non-operated or landowner, you've got a tenant that's really there, you know, with that ground every day, the best outcome there is going to be a discussion between both of those parties, because the landowner certainly cares about the long term health of that land, the farmer too. But the farmers kind of looking year to year at their operations and their business.
Katie Hanson 00:03:42:21 - 00:04:02:26
And so, a lot of times the best, results of these types of conversations are just kind of getting folks, together and having that, that discussion. And again, I'll just say, you know, we've got that kind of five county focus, but truly, anyone is welcome to join us. And we, we would love it.