Recent News
Partner Spotlight: Illinois Central College
ISAP is excited to feature the Illinois Central College (ICC) as our July Partner Spotlight! ICC is an open enrollment, comprehensive community college located in the Peoria area and serves approximately 7,500 students in 10 counties. ICC is known for its programs in agriculture, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, police and fire science, horticulture, and other high demand occupations. The...
ISAP Partners Offer Cover Crop Incentives
When properly managed, incorporating cover crops into a traditional crop rotation provides several benefits including reduction of nutrient loss, limited soil erosion, and improved water infiltration capability. Advancing the adoption of cover crops has been identified as a key strategy for Illinois agriculture to meet the goals established in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS). Members of the Illinois...
STAR Annual Report Shows Big Impacts with Voluntary Conservation Efforts
Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) has concluded its third year of reporting conservation efforts in and around the state of Illinois through the Crop Year 2021 STAR Annual Report. The report features a summary of conservation efforts, environmental impacts, and growth of the STAR initiative. STAR is a free nation-wide tool that assists farm operators and landowners in evaluating their...
ISAP Hosts Myth-Busting Risk Management Webinar Series
Throughout the month of June, the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) brought together experts on cover crops, tile drainage, and economics to tackle common myths in conservation cropping systems. The series was well attended with over 120 individual attendees representing 17 states/provinces across North America. Farmers, ag advisers, Extension staff, and non-profit conservation advocates had the opportunity to learn how,...
Ag Professionals Identify Cognitive Biases in Conservation Agriculture
During ISAP's first convening of Alphabet Soup in 2022, over 60 conservation professionals, farmers, government agents, researchers, and industry representatives came together to talk about how behavioral science impacts their work in advancing conservation. Using eight cognitive biases that were identified in the Sand County Foundation report, “Making Conservation Conventional,” attendees participated in an interactive, task-oriented workshop which created opportunities to...
Farmers Grow Rye to Advance Regenerative Agriculture and Support Kentucky Bourbon
When people think of Kentucky, many things may come to mind: horse racing and fancy hats, large buckets of fried chicken, or even Kentucky bourbon! Kentucky has a long and rich history of bourbon production, giving the state its claim to fame as the world’s bourbon capital. Bourbon is an agricultural product at its core, relying on high quality...