Resources
Documents & Websites
Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy: What Farmers Need to Know
Following the release of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) 2023 Biennial Report in December, many famers and farm advisors have been left to wonder: What does this mean for my farm? What does this mean for Illinois agriculture? What can I do to help Illinois achieve our goals? One of the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership’s (ISAP) primary efforts is to support Illinois agriculture in achieving the goals of NLRS by equipping farmers and farm advisors with the technical expertise and necessary resources to successfully transition to a profitable conservation cropping system. In this session, ISAP and University of Illinois Extension will provide an overview of the NLRS, highlight findings from the recent report, and share ISAP and Extension resources developed to support farmers in adopting farming practices which reduce nutrient loss while also building soil health.
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Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) Developed by Cornell Soil Health Lab
The Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health, commonly known as the Cornell Soil Health Test (CASH), is designed for farmers, gardeners, agricultural service providers, landscape managers and researchers who want to go beyond simply testing the nutrient levels of their soils. The Cornell lab was the first to offer a commercial soil health test that provides standardized information on important soil biological and physical constraints in addition to standard nutrient analyses.
Find details of the CASH assessment’s indicators and management strategies for improving soil health in the Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health Training Manual, available free online. The lab also offers fact sheets about our lab’s specific tests and procedures.
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State Conservation Program Dashboard
The State Conservation Program Dashboard (the “dashboard”) is an interactive database of state-level programs that advance on-farm conservation and expand the implementation of practices that improve soil health. It provides a snapshot of state efforts to help raise awareness about effective approaches, inform state and federal policy action, and encourage more agricultural land conservation.
How to Use the Dashboard
The dashboard includes information about three state approaches – On-Farm Conservation, Technical Assistance Capacity, and Research and Demonstration – that can be accessed using the color-coded buttons.
Each section highlights program mechanics and activities, enabling comparison across states. Individual programs are shown in rows. The tabs along the top of each table describe program features, such as administration, eligibility, inclusion and access, financial assistance, outcomes, and more. Columns within each tab highlight additional program information that can be filtered and sorted. For descriptions of each column heading, refer to the State Conservation Program Dashboard Index.
Finally, clicking on a row in the table generates a secondary table at the bottom of the dashboard that displays more customized details related to that program.
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Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy & Agricultural Conservation Practices
This 1-pager created by Illinois Extension, gives a brief overview of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (INLRS), highlights nutrient loss in Illinois, impacts of nutrient loss, and conservation practices that can address in-field and edge of field nutrient loss.
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Digging Deeper: Cover Crop Mixes
Cover crop mixes are a great tool that can be used to address a wide range of field concerns and production goals. This resource is meant to guide your design of a cover crop mix that is applicable to your production environment, highlight various considerations of mix designs, and support your development of an adaptive strategy to successfully use multispecies cover crops on your farm.
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The Financial Implications of Conservation Agriculture Booklet
This booklet aims to inform farmers’ key partners—in particular, farm business management educators, agricultural lenders, and conservation educators and professionals—about the financial costs and benefits of conservation agriculture practices to assist their work with farmers.
The sections for each of these practices are also available as separate fact sheets that can be accessed here.
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EPA Watershed Academy Learning Modules and Webcasts
EPA’s Watershed Academy holds a variety of learning modules, webcasts, and watershed management resources.
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EPA Webcast Archives
Previous webcasts covering topics including: agriculture, climate change, lakes, monitoring and tools, nutrient management, oceans and coastal waters, protection and planning, rivers and streams, water research, and wetlands.
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Addressing Nonpoint Source Pollution – Webcast Recording
Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution encompasses a wide range of sources and is the prevailing cause of the nation’s water quality problems. The vast extent and continuous nature of NPS pollution is a challenge that requires problems to be addressed through a variety of approaches using multiple funding sources.
You can access EPA’s Watershed Academy webcast to learn more about the national nonpoint source program and the various ways this program helps restore water quality across the United States.
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Nutrient Pollution Module by Watershed Academy
This module is intended to provide an overview of nutrient pollution and the associated water quality and human health impacts. This module covers the science behind the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, the impacts of nutrient pollution on human health and the environment, the sources of nutrient pollution, and federal, state, tribal, and territory actions underway to mitigate nutrient pollution impacts. It also includes the current science on how climate change may impact nutrient pollution. Finally, the module covers the tools, opportunities, and activities available for the public to get involved in these issues.
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