White County Soil and Water Conservation District’s 77th Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, February 23, at the Floral Hall of the fairgrounds in Carmi. Registration begins at 5:00 p.m. A free fish dinner and sides prepared by McPeak Fish Market will be served at 5:30. [Read more...]
February 3 is Deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program
The application deadline of February 3, 2023, has been announced for the USDA-NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). NRCS plans to invest up to $12.1 million for new CSP contracts in fiscal year 2023 in Illinois. CSP is a financial assistance conservation program which helps agricultural and forestland producers take conservation activities on their farm to the next level. [Read more...]
Backyard Maple Syrup Production Workshop
Are you interested in learning about making your own maple syrup? If so, come to the seventh annual Backyard Maple Syrup Production Workshop at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center. Maple sap collection and syrup production is easy, relatively inexpensive to start, and is a great late winter project that can be fun for the entire family. Sugar maples, the species typically thought of for sap collection, are abundant in southern Illinois but other species of maple can also be tapped to make this tasty syrup. [Read more...]
Illinois Conservation Foundation accepting applications for 2023 Conservation Achievement Scholarships
Applications are being accepted by the Illinois Conservation Foundation for the 2023 Conservation Achievement Scholarship program.
The foundation annually awards scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in Illinois who demonstrate effective, voluntary, long-term dedication to the preservation, protection or enhancement of the state’s natural resources.
Four scholarships of $2,000 each are available for the current school year. One of the scholarships is reserved for a qualified applicant who is a dependent of a current employee of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. [Read more...]
Farm Finance Forum Set for February 3
The Fairfield National Bank and the Wayne County Farm Bureau are excited to bring back the Farm Finance Forum on Friday, February 3. The forum will feature a series of well-known speakers that will cover a variety of topics related to financial matters on the farm. Keynoting the event this year is Eric Snodgrass, Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions. Snodgrass’ popularity amongst farmers stems from his regular ag weather updates on YouTube.
This year’s speaker lineup includes… [Read more...]
NRCS EQIP and Conservation Incentive Contracts Application Deadline – January 6, 2023
Agricultural producers and forestry managers who want to address or improve natural resources are encouraged to sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Some EQIP activities include installing structures or grassed waterways to address gully erosion and improving soil health by increasing organic matter with cover crops. In addition to conservation practices, EQIP funds development of customized conservation plans such as Forest Management Plans (FMP).
Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program Opens December 15
WHITE COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT 1105 West Main Street Carmi, Illinois 62821 Contact: Jewel Brooks or Tenley Wessel 618-382-2213, Ext. 3
Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will open the Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program at 8 a.m. on December 15th. Applicants will be required to certify their cover crops approved through their local FSA office before applying. Applicants will also need their current FSA-578 and federal crop insurance policy number(s) for the 2023 application process. The program is applicable for acreage in Illinois planted to cover crops in the fall of 2022 that will be planted to an insurable crop in 2023. [Read more...]
IDOA/White County SWCD Cover Crop Programs Available
WHITE COUNTY SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT 1105 West Main Street Carmi, Illinois 62821 Contact: Jewel Brooks or Tenley Wessel 618-382-2213, Ext. 3
IDOA/White County SWCD Cover Crop Programs Available The White County Soil and Water District continues to partner with American Farmland Trust and other conservation agencies to assist farmers with a new program opportunity, Illinois Cover Crop Initiative (ICCI). [Read more...]