Funded by the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program.
|
January 02, 2015 The farmer. Adam Dahmer farms 1,200 acres near Marion in partnership with his father and brother. The land is planted in a 50-50 corn and soybean rotation. Sustainability challenge. Several creeks, including Crab Orchard Creek and Saline Creek, run through the Dahmer farmland as part of a watershed that drains into the Mississippi River 50 miles away. “Are we considered a sensitive watershed today? No. In two years, we will be,” Adam... |
|
January 02, 2015 The farmer. Adam Henkel farms corn, soybeans, seed corn and seed beans in north central Illinois near Sublette with his father and uncles. He’s been farming almost 20 years, currently part-time, while he works as a Certified Services Agent in the data and technology division for Pioneer®. When his father retires, he will begin farming full time. Environmental challenge. The Henkel land, heavily rolling soils, drains into watersheds for... |
|
January 02, 2015 The farmer. Alan Hill and his father produce corn and soybeans on 2,500 acres near Morris, Ill. Environmental challenge. Hill’s farm is located in and around the Mazon Watershed, which empties into the Illinois River at Morris. Best Management Practices. Sustainable use of soil and water resources is important to Hill, who has served as the chairperson for the Grundy County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). “I believe... |
|
January 02, 2015 The farmer. Alan Madison owns and operates a 3,000-acre farm in northwestern Illinois near Princeton. He started farming part-time in 1979 while he was working for the USDA Soil Conservation Service. He made the move to full-time corn and soybean farming in 1997. Environmental challenge. Being near the Bureau Creek Watershed, Madison is most concerned about preventing nutrient loss. According to Madison, knowing exactly what your... |
|
January 02, 2015 The farmer. Kelly Cheesewright has farmed his entire life on the Illinois state line near Dana, Ind. Environmental challenge. The soils on Cheesewright’s farm are mostly silty clay loams and clay loams, which are susceptible to erosion. To combat this, Cheesewright grows cover crops to prevent erosion and improve soil quality. His first attempts with cover crops back in the 1990s met with limited success. “We were uneducated in... |
|
January 02, 2015 The farmer. Kevin Aves farms about 2,200 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat between DeKalb and Rockford. Aves’ land was cleared in the late 1800s, and waterways and small patches of trees still dot the countryside. Aves says his family has grown wheat as long as he can remember. “We’ve always had a good market for straw over the years, mostly to local farmers, but as livestock numbers dwindled away, we’ve had a lot of it go to... |
Comments
Add new comment