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Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association, Inc.
News
LICA: A Word from the Board Chair
Over the past six months, the Land Improvement Contractors of America has continued to build momentum in ways that position our organization for a strong and successful future. From leadership transitions to meaningful industry engagement, it has been an exciting and productive time for LICA.
Legacy P: What You Need to Know
A recent study has revealed that legacy phosphorus (P) significantly contributes to water quality degradation, accounting for 83–100 percent of dissolved reactive phosphorus loss in Ohio and Indiana. New P, from recently applied fertilizers, contributed only 0–17 percent. These findings underscore the urgent need for strategies to mitigate legacy P to enhance water quality.
Q&A with A CCA: Drainage Water Recycling
Two organizations, Transforming Drainage.org and the Environmental Defense Fund, provide practical descriptions for DWR. Drainage water recycling is the practice of capturing excess water drained from fields, storing it in a pond, reservoir, or drainage ditch, and using it to irrigate crops during periods of water deficit.
Railroad Grade Crossing Safety Improvement Funding Available
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) last week opened a $1.1 billion funding round to improve safety at railroad grade crossings. Funding under the Crossing Safety Program comes from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to address over 2,000 collisions and nearly 300 fatalities yearly since 2021.
House Transportation Committee Approves Highway Reauthorization
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill after a marathon 15-hour legislative markup session that began on May 21 and ended in the early morning of May 22. The committee adopted the bill by a vote of 62-2 with three members not voting. Existing highway and transit authorizations are set to expire Sept. 30.
Enrollment Open for Emergency Watershed Protection Program – Floodplain Easements (EWPP-FPE)
This program provides an opportunity for landowners whose property has been impacted by severe or repeated flooding to voluntarily enroll land into floodplain easements. Through EWPP-FPE, NRCS works with landowners to restore natural floodplain functions, reduce future flood risks, and improve environmental quality, while removing their property from production.
USDA Invests $65 Mil for Projects that Help Farmers Improve Operations & Conserve Natural Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the availability of $65 million in funding this year for new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program.
CIG is supported by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (WFTCA), which increased funding for farm bill conservation programs, like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), which funds CIG.
Deere Faces New Law Suit Over Right-to-Repair
After reaching a settlement over a right-to-repair lawsuit with farmers in April, Deere & Co. is facing a new class action suit that alleges it also unfairly restricted repairs for its construction, lawn, and turf equipment. The case was brought by Christy Webber & Co., a landscaping operation in Chicago that services city landmarks like Soldier Field, Millennium Park and Navy Pier.
NRCS Chief Resigns
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Aubrey Bettencourt has resigned from the agency, according to a letter sent to staff as reported by Agri-Pulse. Colton Buckley, NRCS associate chief, will assume the role of chief.
Kennedy Farm Drainage LLC Retirement Auction
David and Lori Kennedy, valued Illinois LICA members whose work and involvement have strengthened our association and the broader land improvement community, are retiring after 35 years in the drainage industry. As they conclude their business operations, we encourage you to check out their auction listings including trucks, trailers, excavation equipment, and more.
Well-Positioned: How a Company Blossomed through GPS Integration
There can never be too many Cooks in the drainage “kitchen.” For Mike Cook, helping farmers plot and tile their fields for better water management has been not only a lifelong interest, but a family affair.
LICA's View: Strength in People
Greeting from Illinois! I am Steve Anderson the new president of LICA for 2026. It is a return for me as I served here in 2015. I have been a LICA member for close to 40 years now. Words don’t really express the value it has brought me: from simple knowledge to relationships that cross borders. LICA is quite the association for the drainage contractor, as well as the earthmovers involved in the moving of dirt.
The Edge of Disaster: Why Surface Protection is the First Line of Defense
A worker standing just 18 inches from the edge of a trench feels like they are on solid ground. To the naked eye, the dirt is unmoving. However, to a soil engineer, that worker is standing directly on a “failing wedge”— a segment of soil that has already lost its structural integrity and is simply waiting for a trigger to slide.
Honoring Jason Brown
It’s one of those announcements you never expect to see, and it left me stunned. On Monday, May 18th, Mid America Trenchers announced the passing of its president, Jason Brown.
Jason is gone far too soon, but the impact he had on his family, friends, customers, and the industry was greater than most people ever achieve.
Leaders in Soil Health Multiply Statewide Outreach Efforts
The Soil Health Leadership Program helps farmers, retailers, crop advisors, and conservation professionals improve their understanding of soil health principles and the production management changes needed to maximize on-farm benefits of soil health systems.
Wetland Restoration Initiative is Restoring Shallow Wetlands as Stopover Habitats
The availability of stopover habitats – shallow wetlands and flooded agricultural fields – is critical for building up energy reserves necessary for successful reproduction. In short, the more wetland habitat we can provide in the spring, the healthier ducks will return to the breeding grounds, and the more young ducks we should see in the fall.
Optimizing Through Modelling
Drainage contractors are skilled from the outset in creating and executing drainage plans for individual fields, and they also grow in experience every year. They’re also, like professionals in any other sector, keen to use new science and new technology to make minor – or major – improvements to the services they offer.
Farm Bill Passes House - Senate Consideration Expected Soon
On April 30 the House finally passed a farm bill by a 224-200 vote. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act, includes several key provisions for conservation aimed at supporting private land stewardship and enhancing wildlife habitat. Attention now focuses on the Senate, where Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., is targeting the end of May or early June for a bill markup.
Research Highlights Saturated Buffer Success
New research from Michigan State University (MSU) reveals that saturated buffers improve water quality more than originally anticipated, significantly reducing nitrate load by 66% compared to standard tile drainage systems.
Ehsan Ghane, MSU associate professor and Extension specialist, shared insights gained from real-world installations of saturated buffers during an Iowa Learning Farms webinar last week.
To Tile or Not to Tile: Mitigating Damage in Lake Champaign
With nearly half of phosphorus load that runs into Lake Champlain coming from agricultural production, farmers, researchers and industry alike are banding together to help create a more long-term solution, while continuing to foster a productive agricultural industry.