Steve Stierwalt is one of the farmers who wondered how to encourage neighbors to prevent nutrient runoff from fields and improve soil health, leading to the creation of STAR.Watch videos | Steve Stierwalt | Joe Rothermel | Kris Reynolds In 2017, two Central Illinois farmers wondered how they could encourage neighbors to find new ways to prevent nutrient runoff from fields […]

Kris Reynolds has added cover crops and conservation practices to his farm near Nokomis in Montgomery County. Reynolds serves as a member of the STAR board and is Midwest Director of American Farmland Trust.Watch videos | Steve Stierwalt | Joe Rothermel | Kris Reynolds On-farm conservation practices in Illinois have largely focused on nutrient runoff in recent years, but some […]

In 2017, two Central Illinois farmers wondered how they could encourage neighbors to find new ways to prevent nutrient runoff from fields. Steve Stierwalt and Joe Rothermel were successful using reduced-tillage and cover crops to improve soil health and reduce runoff, and they thought there must be a simple, straightforward way to help make such […]

Be a pioneer with Illinois STAR – your participation counts. Complete a questionnaire at IllinoisSTAR.org and be a part of shaping the future of sustainable agriculture via cover crops and conservation practices. Use the confidential STAR tool to share your conservation practices. You will get a personalized Conservation Improvement Plan for your field, and contribute […]

Steve Turner doesn’t put all his eggs in one basket. To begin with, he doesn’t even raise chickens. In fact, poultry is among the few things he and his sons don’t produce on their 3,500 acres in Cass and Mason counties, where they grow wheat, corn, soybeans, rye, popcorn, green beans, pumpkins, and alfalfa, and raise calves for sale to feedlots.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack rejects the “get big or get out” approach to farming. Instead, he touts multiple revenue streams as the means for farmers to both increase their income and help spark the diversified agricultural economies needed to rejuvenate small towns.

The annual Conservation Cropping Seminar will be taking place January 31, 2024 with both virtual and in-person options (registration). The event will be held from 9am-3:30pm with the in-person attendees meeting at the Illinois Department of Agriculture Building in Springfield. The in-person event costs only $25 (lunch included) and the virtual tickets are only $15. […]

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Department of Agriculture, and University of Illinois Extension recently released the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy 2023 Biennial Report, which highlights efforts to reduce nutrient loss from non-point source, point source, and urban stormwater sectors across the state. The Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) is a state-wide effort to […]