Springfield Plastics is kicking off its annual Drain for the Cure fundraiser. The fundraiser supports cancer research, prevention, and treatment at Simmons Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and John Stoddard Cancer Center at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa.              

NRCS plans to revise the CPS in the NHCP. This notice provides an overview of the planned changes and gives the public an opportunity to offer comments on the specific CPS and NRCS's proposed changes.

A contractor faces proposed penalties of $72,400 from the Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration after a worker was seriously injured in a trench collapse.

The 37-year-old worker was in a 10-foot-deep trench placing fiber-optic line May 31 in Portage when the cave-in occurred. A five-hour operation by emergency personnel rescued the worker from the collapse, and he had serious injuries.

The construction industry is no stranger to hard work. So, when it comes to workforce shortages, instead of throwing up their hands contractors are rolling up their sleeves. Companies have gotten clever in their strategies to overcome workforce issues. Not wasting time pointing fingers at the federal government's preference for higher education over craft training, the industry instead is opting to develop a culture that invests in workers for the long haul.

If you’re a business owner, your company is likely your most valuable asset. To ensure it survives after you’re gone, you first need a succession plan that will provide a smooth transition of the business to one or more of your children (assuming you want to keep it in the family). In addition, you need an estate plan that effectively addresses the tax impact of transferring your ownership interests to the next generation.

Some credits are available “as of right.” That is, if your business meets the specified requirements, you just need to claim the benefit on a timely filed tax return to receive it.

State and federal tax credits and exemptions are designed as incentives for businesses to engage in certain activities or invest in specific economically distressed areas. Here are a few:

ADMC and its partners have been working diligently to provide the data needed for NRCS to include water management practices such as Drainage Water Management (Conservation Practice Standard 554), Saturated Buffers (CPS 604), and Denitrifying Bioreactors (CPS 605) on the CSAF list. That diligence is starting to pay off as Drainage Water Management, Saturated Buffer, and Wetland Restoration (CPS 657) are now eligible as CSAF practices. 

Water management in field crops may be one of the most difficult things for producers to control. Over the last 18 months, there have been periods of too little precipitation and too much rainfall. Each situation brings challenges as producers struggle to manage water in their cropping system. 

Martin Equipment is proud to announce its Tolono, Illinois dealership has been named a John Deere Certified Rebuild Center. This rigorous dealer certification process ensures the capability, process and execution of large, production-class model machine rebuilds are executed at the absolute highest level of quality.

Chris Schildroth, Public Awareness Specialist for Ameren Illinois, was chosen as the 2024 recipient of the Gina Meehan-Taylor Damage Prevention Advocacy Award for his dedication as an advocate of damage prevention to natural gas pipelines. Nationwide every six minutes, someone contacts an underground utility because they didn't call 8-1-1 before that first shovel or spike broke the earth.

Mitigation measures identified by the EPA include subsurface tile drains with controlled drainage structures, as well as systems with permanent berms and tailwater return systems.

According to an EPA news release, the strategy “also reduces the level of mitigation needed for applicators who have already implemented measures identified in the strategy to reduce pesticide movement from treated fields into habitats through pesticide spray drift and runoff from a field. 

Most of us think of the Farm Bill—if we think of it at all—as a relic of the Dust Bowl: a 90-year-old bill providing money for farmers and guidelines for soil conservation. But it’s much more than that. It’s the “most important legislation” for conserving, managing and restoring private lands in the United States, says Jenny Conner Nelms, associate director of legislative affairs at The Nature Conservancy.

The Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership recently released a new resource to connect Illinois farmers with programs offering financial incentives for conservation practices. The Financial INcentives Database, or FIND Tool, includes information for over 60 financial incentive programs available to Illinois farmers who want to implement conservation practices.
 

What a year it has been! A snowless winter led to worries about drought— but then the rain came. And came. And came.

For several weeks, streams and rivers across Minnesota were at flood levels. Several stream gauge stations recorded new high flows. Weather watchers in some areas reported several months of normal rain falling in just a few days.

Welcome to our new podcast miniseries, Focus on Drainage. In this four-episode miniseries, we speak to experts from different aspects of the agricultural drainage and water management sector to discuss evolving trends and innovation in the field of water management. 

The 2024 Pipeline Awareness Newsletter has been mailed to approximately 40,000 Public Officials. Members will receive their copy within the next week. A PDF copy can be downloaded here. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking for public input on how best to implement the SUSTAINS Act, which authorizes USDA to accept private contributions to channel through several existing USDA conservation programs. The public should submit comments to the Request for Information via the Federal Register by September 16, 2024.

Grass waterways across the landscape offer promising opportunities to reduce nitrate pollution in tile drainage from agricultural land, according to ongoing research led by the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.
Linear strips of sod planted in drainageways, grass waterways slow surface water runoff to catch and reduce soil erosion. The widespread conservation practice has been popular for decades in many areas of the state and Midwest.

NOAA-supported scientists announced today that this year’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” — an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and marine life — is approximately 6,705 square miles, the 12th largest zone on record in 38 years of measurement. This figure equates to more than 4 million acres of habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species, an area roughly the size of New Jersey. 

Over the course of the year, we have received a number of questions from our clients about Illinois’ various new Paid Leave laws. In this article, we are going to present and address some of the most commonly asked questions we have been receiving.

Edge-of-field conservation practices are not new. However, they are a highly effective strategy that can be used to improve water quality.

A Water Quality Program Manager at Iowa State University Extension, says that these practices have many benefits, not limited to removing nitrates.

Illinois-based River Valley Pipe is celebrating its 10-year anniversary.

Specializing in ag drainage, River Valley has marked key milestones such as expanding its product lines (now manufacturing all standard single-wall diameters and 10 fittings), growth in its market reach and an increase to 50 employees across two locations.

There appears to be growing unity that congressional action on reauthorization of the farm bill has little chance this year. The congressional calendar is limited with conventions and a long August recess ahead. Word out of Milwaukee at the RNC was not promising on farm bill action.

Bruce Barnhart, contractor from Iowa and chairman of National LICA’s Government Relations Committee convened the Committee recently in Pittsburgh in conjunction with National LICA’s Summer Meeting. Bruce shared his May trip to Washington to meet with other construction and agriculture groups as part of AEM’s Ag Days on the Mall. In addition, Bruce went to Capitol Hill to meet with his congresswoman and discuss issues pending before Congress.

To assist land managers in achieving their goals and objectives, NRCS’s Conservation at Work video series introduces conservation practices featuring the farmers and landowners using them. 

Of the various sources of phosphorus (P) entering Lake Erie, agriculture is a dominant one. While drainage is critical for crop production, it can transport P to downstream water bodies. In subsurface-drained farms, P is mainly lost from two pathways – surface runoff and drainage discharge. Surface runoff mainly moves particulate P (soil-attached P) and drainage discharge mainly moves soluble P.

Many businesses use independent contractors to help keep their costs down and provide flexibility for short-term needs. But the question of whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor is complex. Be careful that your independent contractors are properly classified for federal tax and employment tax purposes, because if the IRS reclassifies them as employees, it can be an expensive mistake.

Soil and water conservation districts aren't high-profile agencies, but they fill an important niche in supporting Illinois agriculture. Major funding cuts in the new state budget may noticeably hamper those efforts.

The districts work with farmers to provide supplemental funding for expensive projects like erosion prevention, dam and reservoir maintenance and flood control.

On June 25th, Illinois farmers, landowners, and agriculture professionals gathered at the Knox County Farm Bureau building in Galesburg for “Cultivating Conversations: How and Why Farmers Implement Edge-of-Field Practices.” The event was co-hosted by the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership (ISAP) and Illinois Extension, featuring a presentation from Catherine DeLong of Iowa State University Extension.

Significant revisions to the Illinois Underground Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act (JULIE Law) go into effect January 1, 2025. 

Learn more about these legislative changes and how they will impact the way you do business. Attend an in-person or virtual New Law Workshop presented by JULIE's Damage Prevention Managers.

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While trenching work is necessary in laying the foundation for utilities, pipelines and other projects, they also pose significant safety risks if not managed properly.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has established guidelines and standards (OSHA 1926 Subpart P) to ensure the safety of workers involved in excavation activities. Here are five essential tips for working around excavation and trenches safely.

President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled its long-awaited proposal to protect workers from extreme heat at what might appear to be an appropriate time—amid a record-hot summer with millions of Americans sweltering under heat advisories.

On June 13-14, the Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA) hosted its first-ever Water Management Forum.

Held in collaboration with the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC), the Forum served as a platform to bring together contractors, farmers, government officials, the education community and other industry leaders in water management solutions. The Forum showcased equipment and solutions, with education sessions on drainage research to enhance water management practice.

Although not foreign to the audience of Drainage Contractor, there is a crucial yet overlooked component to production and sustainability: drainage systems.

These systems are essential for managing water levels and optimizing soil conditions. They get recognized for increasing yields and profitability but misunderstood about their potential to improve nitrogen fertilizer management, reduce N2O emissions, pesticide transport, and surface runoff. 

Fortunately, despite warmer temperatures compared to previous years, adequate rainfall has spared Indiana and Illinois from drought conditions so far. However, the upcoming weather in July and August will determine if sufficient water is available for crops. Should conditions mimic the severe drought of 2012, having effective tools readily available to manage dry periods throughout the growing season becomes crucial.

Questions have been raised recently regarding the role of tile drainage in flooding. On one side of the issue, tile drainage is viewed as a major cause of flooding because the tiles accelerate subsurface water delivery to rivers. But at the same time, tile drainage is considered by some in the agricultural community as a conservation practice to reduce flooding because tiles dry out the soils and make them more receptive to rainfall infiltration.

NACADE is where equipment and materials manufacturers, drainage contractors, farm managers, conservation experts, industry leaders, and decision makers can meet and discuss the issues and technology that matter to you and your organization's success.

Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR) is a sustainable and cost-effective method for rehabilitating worn-out asphalt pavements. As construction contractors face increasing demands for efficiency, environmental stewardship and budget management, understanding the advantages and limitations of FDR becomes crucial.

A new Illinois NRCS factsheet has been created, Wind Erosion and Soils, that covers the factors and safety measures for wind erosion.

Purple Wave Auction is pleased to announce that Greg Ditch has joined the company as a territory sales manager.

Among the bills that did not pass is a piece of legislation that sought to restore protections for wetlands stripped last year in a United States Supreme Court decision. In May 2023, federal protections for wetlands were gutted, weakening Clean Water Act protections for millions of acres of wetlands across the U.S.

Remote Ticket Entry (RTE) is a convenient way to submit your own notice of proposed excavation created specifically for professional excavators.  RTE is fast and easy to use allowing you to submit your information using the same maps and tools as our call center agents.  Simply complete a FREE one-hour online training to get started. Register now!

HB5546 was approved by the Illinois General Assembly this spring and presented to the Governor’s Office for final action. The bill includes amendatory language to the Illinois Underground Utility Facilities Damage Prevention Act to enhance public safety, minimize risks to excavators, prevent disruptions and aid in the expansion of vital public services. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2025.

With growing concerns about climate change and water quality, edge-of-field practices are coming into sharper focus since they’re designed to slow, filter, and process both surface and subsurface runoff from farm fields.

“Leading at the Edge,” a report published in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, the Meridian Institute and the Soil and Water Conservation Society, outlines some of the benefits of edge-of-field practices: 

At Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS), we are passionate about safeguarding the world's most precious resource: water. In 2023, the ADS Foundation announced a three-year gift of $500,000 to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to support critical freshwater conservation projects across the United States. 

Reducing nitrogen losses from cropland is often a conversation filled with blame, demands and broader agendas. But if we stick to the basics, don’t we all agree that it is a good idea? For farmers, it may be solely an economic goal, striving to save money on fertilizer. Others may be concerned about drinking water or the seasonal hypoxic area in the Gulf of Mexico.

What if Iowa farmers could collect field drainage and rainfall to supply the right amount of water at the right time for crop production – and improve water quality in the process? That dream is coming closer to reality, thanks to the emerging technology of drainage water recycling (DWR) already in practice on several Iowa farms.

Bioreactors are seen as an increasingly important tool in agricultural water management. A new Iowa-based research project hopes to provide landowners with more options, flexibility and resources to implement those bioreactors.

As subsurface drainage – in particular, nutrient transport from subsurface drainage – is subject to increasing scrutiny for its role in downstream water quality issues, farmers have been in a tough spot. For all its potential links to adverse water quality, subsurface drainage also has an undeniably positive relationship with crop yield and quality. 

All contractors have been there: you’re working for a landowner or tenant on a project that is “land locked” between neighboring properties. It could be standing crop, limited equipment loading/unloading access, or inadequate bridge crossings. Or maybe you have access to your project site, but your project area includes work at or near the property line of a neighbor’s. 

ADMC is seeking to learn about the needs of contractors in order to enhance its own offerings as a coalition, learn where to focus and serve as a true representative body for thew water management industry and its contractors.

Introduced to agriculture in the United States in 1838, the practice of tiling fields has become increasingly important as heavy rain events have occurred more frequently.

The frequency of extreme, single-day precipitation events remained mostly steady between 1910 and the 1980s but has risen substantially since then, with climate change as a major contributor, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Illinois’ 103rd General Assembly has finalized the FY25 budget. While many are celebrating, we on the frontlines of soil and water conservation are yet again disillusioned by a frontal attack that has landed at our doorsteps. 

The Department of Labor today announced a final rule from its Occupational Safety and Health Administration that will update the current Hazard Communication Standard to better protect workers by improving the amount and quality of information on labels and safety data sheets and allow workers and first responders to react more quickly in an emergency. The updates take effect on July 19, 2024. 

ADMC has been granted meeting with National NRCS leadership on June 17th to provide key feedback to continue to improve conservation drainage related practice scenarios and payment schedules and to seek clarification about previous requests. 

With an excavator, plastic and a carbon source, a section of land can be transformed into a practice that helps improve water quality and reduce nitrate loss.

On May 9, Lyle Hughart stood close by as a crew of workers dug out a 16-by-70-foot pit. The crew was preparing for the installation of a woodchip bioreactor on Hughart’s rented land in Heyworth.

As a manager, staying on top of your team’s daily activities, challenges, and achievements is key to making informed decisions about projects and processes. One powerful tool that can help you maintain clarity and control is the End of Day (EOD) report.

May is a wonderful time of year, full of many things to celebrate: spring finally arriving across the country, crops growing in the fields, and future Natural Resources Conservation Service employees graduating from college and high school. It’s also American Wetlands Month, a time to recognize wetlands’ conservation “superpowers” and thank our customers who have enrolled more than 2.9 million acres in NRCS wetland easement programs. 

When it comes to farming, experience is often the best teacher. This June, producers can get answers to their questions about installing edge-of-field conservation practices by connecting with farmers who have first-hand knowledge at the “Cultivating Conversations: How and Why Illinois Farmers Implement Edge-of-Field Practices” panel discussion for west-central Illinois.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected 28 organizations to host members of USDA’s Working Lands Climate Corps (WLCC), an effort that will train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders, providing technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people and helping them deliver climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers.

Waiting on the weather is an old story in agriculture, but as climate change drives an increase in spring rains across the Midwest, the usual anxiety around the ritual of spring planting is expected to rise along with it. In Ohio, for example, farmers have lost about five days of field work in the month of April since 1995, according to Aaron Wilson, the state’s climatologist.

JULIE offers comprehensive FREE online training courses for professional excavators working near underground utility lines. More than 1,200 professional excavators have already signed up for the course.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for four positions on the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. USDA will accept nominations from May 7, 2024, to July 7, 2024. The 12-member Committee, which first convened in March 2022, is part of USDA’s efforts to increase support for urban agriculture and innovative production. 

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology is a valuable tool in the planning and design of tile drainage projects.

Contractors can use LiDAR to generate topography maps to give them an idea about the shape of the land to plan a drainage system without physically driving to a field to collect data, explains Nate Cook, Cook’s AGPS LLC. This allows them to create an estimate of the drainage layout and its cost.

E&E News’ Marc Heller reported earlier this week that “House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson said Tuesday he’ll release a farm bill draft within a month and have it ready for the panel’s consideration before Memorial Day.”

Wet springs, dry summers. That's been the trend in eastern South Dakota, and farmers aren't particularly thrilled. But what if early rains could be saved, and utilized, as relief for a later dry spell?

It may no longer be just wishful thinking. Researchers in South Dakota State University's Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering are investigating if an emerging technology — automated controlled drainage systems — could hold the answer.

What if Iowa farmers could collect field drainage and rainfall to supply the right amount of water at the right time for crop production – and improve water quality in the process? That dream is coming closer to reality, thanks to the emerging technology of drainage water recycling (DWR) already in practice on several Iowa farms. 

April is Safe Digging Month, and the 2024 Excavation Safety Guide - Pipeline Edition has been sent to more than half a million excavators.  A PDF copy can be downloaded here.  Additional printed copies may be requested using the online order form.  These copies, and shipping, are at no cost. We hope you will find it a valuable resource.

The Agriculture Department violates the Constitution by barring farmers from its support programs if they plant crops on wetlands, said an Iowa lawsuit that challenges the four-decade-old Swampbuster rule. The Pacific Legal Foundation, which won a Supreme Court decision last May that narrowed federal protection of wetlands, is one of three conservative law firms representing the plaintiff, CTM Holdings LLC.

Farmer Joe Breker of Havana, N.D., says starting cover cropping in the early 2000s was a way to manage excess water in fields, but the addition of drain tile systems in 2005 proved to be a game-changer.

Corn cobs may perform better than woodchips to reduce nitrates in water quality bioreactors -- and for a lower cost -- say Iowa State University researchers. The challenge is getting an adequate supply of corn cobs.

Some producers voluntarily invest in control structures given their benefits for water conservation and crop yield. Long-term research at The Ohio State University has shown a 6% yield increase for corn and 3.5% yield increase for soybeans within the elevation zone influenced by controlled drainage, compared to a free draining outlet. 

With mounting pressure to increase crop yields and protect the environment and following best management practices, controlled drainage may provide the best of both worlds.

Laura Christiansen, associate professor and faculty extension specialist at University of Illinois’ crop sciences department, once described controlled drainage as “one of the few water quality drainage practices that we promote that has the potential to provide a yield benefit.”

Why aren’t more farmers installing saturated buffers, bioreactors or wetlands that enhance water quality?

Well, the report Decoding Iowa Farmers’ Understanding of Edge-of-Field Conservation Practices from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach shows a significant lack of awareness and understanding of these edge-of-field conservation practices. 

For 200 miles, the Wabash River forms the border between Illinois and Indiana as it meanders south to the Ohio River.

On the Illinois side, lawmakers are scrambling to pass a bill that would protect wetlands from development and pollution, in order to safeguard water quality and limit flooding. But in Indiana, state policymakers hastily passed a law earlier this year to roll back wetlands regulations, at the urging of developers and farm groups who said such rules were overly burdensome.

Focusing on continually improving their fourth-generation farm, Kellie and A.J. Blair added a center pivot to one of their Iowa operations last year. But rather than a traditional setup, the couple installed a drainage water recycling (DWR) system to help them better use excess rainfall from the spring to water crops during the dry summer. 

To keep water clean, we need to know how much phosphorus is coming from different places, like runoff. Right now, we're not paying enough attention to how erosion along streams adds phosphorus to the water. This means we might think farms are polluting more than they really are, and we're not focusing on fixing this extra source of phosphorus.

Adoption of edge-of-field conservation practices, such as denitrifying bioreactors, may be intrinsically linked to barriers associated with cost. However, most previous bioreactor cost efficiency assessments assumed values for either costs and/or nitrate removal. 

Soil health alone will not achieve our water quality goal. Nutrient management is a good start, but it's best when combined with water management to achieve our water quality goal.

While some are experiencing too much water, some don’t have enough. Has drainage water recycling advanced enough to become a game-changer?

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced the availability of an historic $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2024 to invest in partner-driven conservation and climate solutions through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The NRCS is accepting project proposals now through July 2, 2024.

The USDA is accepting applications for grants to support urban agriculture & innovative production. Applications for USDA’s Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants are due April 9, 2024.

“This grant program has proven very popular and impactful in recent years, and we look forward to partnering with more communities nationwide to strengthen local food systems and increase access to healthy foods,”

In conjunction with the celebration of National Women in Construction Week and International Women's Day, John Deere Construction & Forestry announces its $125,000 sponsorship of the "Women at Work: Breaking Barriers" docuseries by non-profit organization.

Produced by Jennifer Todd, President of LMS General Contractors​ and founder of A Greener Tomorrow, the series aims to inspire the next generation of tradeswomen and support the current workforce of women in construction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest about $138 million of financial assistance from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—in 138 new climate-smart conservation easements, through which farmers and ranchers are conserving wetlands, grasslands and prime farmlands. 

Illinois EPA Director John J. Kim today announced a total of $4.75 million in funding through the release of two Section 319(h) Grant Program Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to address nonpoint source pollution. Illinois EPA is seeking proposals for watershed-based planning projects and watershed-based plan implementation projects to prevent, eliminate, or reduce water quality impairments to Illinois’ surface and groundwater resources.

Even in construction deepfakes are a very real, very costly issue. The result of a fake video or image could be lost income, employees walking off the job or even an indefinite halt to the entire project. Getting out in front of the deepfake as soon as you can is the key to saving not only your company's reputation but the bottom line.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of a new Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) conservation effort – the Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project, which offers agricultural producers and landowners the tools to conserve wildlife habitat for northern bobwhite quail by improving East-Central grasslands while achieving other critical conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and improving water quality and soil health.  

Subsurface drainage is a must for many growers who need to remove excess water from their lands in order to ensure suitable crop growth conditions.

In some cases, however, subsurface drainage can lead to serious problems. In the U.S. Midwest, for instance, some drainage practices provide a pathway for nitrogen and phosphorus loss into waterways, which can create environmental problems as far away as the Gulf of Mexico.

Subsurface tile drainage is concentrated in the corn belt (Figure 1). It accounts for a considerable portion of the cropland harvested in the Midwest, especially in states that are dominated by rain-fed agriculture and have poorly drained soils that require drainage (Figure 2). These states have some of the world’s most fertile soils that require subsurface drainage for crop production.

The USDA has launched the Working Lands Climate Corps initiative to train the next generation of conservation and climate leaders.

As part of the American Climate Corps initiative, the Working Lands Climate Corps will provide technical training and career pathway opportunities for young people, helping them deliver economic benefits through climate-smart agriculture solutions for farmers and ranchers. The Working Lands Climate Corps, in its first cohort, will aim to create service opportunities for more than 100 young people.

State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding for the Precision Conservation Management in several counties in Illinois. Illinois NRCS has partnered with the Illinois Corn Growers Association to help producers address sheet and rill erosion on farm ground in the project area.

Fiscal year 2023 was truly groundbreaking. The dedicated team at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) along with our conservation partners successfully implemented conservation practices on America’s working lands while rolling out the largest conservation funding opportunity the agency has ever received through the Inflation Reduction Act, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.

State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) funding for the Working Lands, Water and Wildlife Partnership for select counties throughout Illinois. Illinois NRCS has partnered with The Conservation Fund to help producers address resource concerns, through the planning and implementation of cover crops.

NRCS State Conservationist, Tammy Willis announced funding is now available for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). The program provides an opportunity for landowners to place land into an easement while continuing to produce an agricultural commodity. 

The Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee says March is still a possibility for a new Farm Bill; however, there are no guarantees.

Glenn GT Thompson told Brownfield Ag News the month of March would be the first time the House would have enough time to work on the new Farm Bill, but the markup and voting process takes at least three weeks.

Woods, with more than 30 years of community organizing, education, and government experience is an accomplished and visionary leader, and brings a wealth of experience to AISWCD. With a proven track record of driving growth and innovation in the agricultural industry through conservation and education, Woods is poised to lead AISWCD into a new era of inspiration and service.

The first annual North American Drainage Conference will take place virtually on March 5.

For $20 USD, contractors, landowners and all those interested in drainage and water management can tune in for half a day of engaging educational content focused on tech, tools and the future of drainage.

Session speakers, titles and descriptions have now been announced. Our speakers include, but are not limited to:

Adoption of edge-of-field conservation practices, such as denitrifying bioreactors, may be intrinsically linked to barriers associated with cost. However, most previous bioreactor cost efficiency assessments assumed values for either costs and/or nitrate removal. The objective of this work was to use actual construction costs as well as monitored nitrate removal to develop empirical cost efficiencies for eight full-size bioreactors in Illinois, USA.

Springfield Plastics, Inc. has donated more than $850,000 to Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and John Stoddard Cancer Center of UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa, over the past 10 years through its Drain for the Cure fundraiser.

The February issue of Ohio’s Country Journal featured an article by Greg LaBarge on “What is drainage water recycling?” (https://ocj.com/2023/02/what-is-drainage-water-recycling/). I decided to continue this conversation, especially for those who may have started wondering what it would take to implement drainage water recycling (DWR) and irrigation for field crops. Let’s try and address some additional questions on DWR. 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson said Thursday that he now hopes to move a new farm bill by March. Meanwhile, his staff has started briefing farm organizations and other groups this week on possible sources of funding that face resistance from Democrats.

“When I look at the calendar in the first quarter, the first month we get to that has the contiguous weeks that we need is March,” Thompson told reporters Thursday.

Water conservation is all about taking good care of our precious water supply. Water is vital for all life on Earth, including plants and animals, and it plays a crucial role in farming and keeping our crops healthy.

But, let’s be honest, water isn’t exactly cheap. It might not seem like a big deal when you’re using a little here and there, but trust us, it can really put a dent in your wallet, especially during those scorching summer months.

Skilled trades and the tradespeople responsible for this work have long been an important part of our society — responsible for building, repairing and maintaining many facets of our everyday life. However, over the years, fewer people are entering these professions.

Drainage water management has previously focused on just getting water off the landscape.

The focus has now changed to managing water and treating it as a resource to benefit crop yields and reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that flow into surface waters.

The Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University is releasing highlights of recent activity summarizing benefits to the state of Iowa from investments in nutrient research.

“INRC-funded research provides Iowa-relevant science to enable informed decisions and priority setting for the benefit of farmers, agencies and organizations that work in the arena of land-use and water quality,” said Daniel J. Robison, holder of the endowed dean’s chair in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State, and a representative on the INRC Advisory Council. 

The massive ongoing effort to reduce nutrient runoff across multiple states in the Mississippi River basin is beginning to pay off, according to a new EPA report to Congress on the work of the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force.

The 2023 Biennial Report, its executive summary, and appendices are now available on the Illinois EPA website at go.illinois.edu/NLRS. 

A media release announcing the report was posted to the Illinois EPA website and Illinois.gov news website and sent to the Illinois EPA's media lists. Illinois legislators also received the report, along with a letter highlighting key points from each sector.

Purple Wave Auction is happy to announce that Zack Witvoet has joined our team as a territory manager.

Purple Wave Auction, headquartered in Manhattan, Kan., is a leader in online, no-reserve equipment auctions serving ag, construction, government, and fleet industries, providing opportunities for customers to buy and sell used equipment with confidence.

Continuing its commitment to the safety and wellbeing of the construction industry, John Deere announced that it is committed to matching donations, up to a total of $100,000, made to the Construction Angels nonprofit organization from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.

Despite signing a 2021 settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor that included a promise to protect its employees from potentially deadly trenching and excavation hazards, a Minnesota construction contractor was again found endangering employees in June 2023 as they replaced a residential water main and 20 separate curb stop valves for house connections in Minot. 

In the climate of increasing environmental concerns and shifting policies, ADMC has continued to play a pivotal role in promoting sustainable and responsible drainage practices. With a membership base that is both engaged and growing, we have made significant strides in advocating for innovative solutions that balance the needs of agriculture with broader environmental stewardship.

The first Drainage Innovation Webinar of this season is just around the corner.

This year’s webinars will focus on identifying common issues with drainage systems, drainage effects on soil health, and advances in automation for controlled drainage and drainage water recycling. 

New to the webinars this year is the availability of continuing education credits through Certified Crop Advisors. Viewers can earn 0.5 credits in soil and water management per webinar, or 1.5 total.

Register today for all three webinars.

Save the date for the 2024 Overholt Drainage School, which will be held from Monday, March 11 – Thursday, March 14 at the Controlled Environment Agriculture Research Complex, 2510 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

Minnesota has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and decades of effort to reduce nitrate that's contaminating drinking water and rivers. The progress so far: negligible.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today signed an agreement with the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators and the NCCCO Foundation to protect workers who operate cranes better.

The two-year agreement will provide certified crane operators with training and resources to reduce and prevent exposure to the four construction workplace issues that contribute to the majority of hazards in the industry: falls, caught-in or between objects or machinery, struck-by objects or equipment, and electrocution.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced improvements to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as well as an unprecedented $1 billion investment to advance partner-driven solutions to conservation on agricultural land through 81 projects. Four Illinois projects will receive $42.7 million in funding.

The Associated General Contractors of America filed suit today in federal court to block the Biden Administration’s unlawful effort to expand the reach of a decades-old law that governs wage rates on federally funded construction projects. 

A stopgap government funding bill that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill easily passed the GOP-controlled House Tuesday after Democrats more than made up for the desertion of hardline GOP conservatives who were unhappy the legislation includes no spending cuts. The Senate approved a similar bill Wednesday night.

Nick Yaksich, National LICA’s Director of Government Relations, joined other industry stakeholders in a briefing conducted by NRCS Chief Terry Cosby and his staff. The Chief opened with the NRCS’ accomplishments from FY 2023 and expressed optimism for FY 2024.

In this episode of the Nutrient Management Podcast, we’re talking about edge of field N and P reduction strategies. What is an edge of field practice and why are they used? What specific practices do our panelists have experience with, and which have the most potential for use in Minnesota?

AEM's new report, Benefits of Construction Technologies and their Impact on Society, details how four key innovations are helping construction sites become safer and more productive, while also reducing their environmental footprint.

One of those technologies, machine control, is changing the way earthmoving and paving tasks are completed. 

If you practice controlled drainage during the growing season, do you think that controlled drainage helped your crop yields in 2023? It may be too early to answer this question, as many of you are still waiting to finish harvest. But if you are wondering about the role that controlled drainage played this year, I will give you a few tips on how to answer this question.

On fields, fertilizer components like nitrogen and phosphorus help to spur crop growth. But as water runs off farmland, it carries leftover nutrients downstream, where it can contribute to major environmental problems. Excess nitrogen can threaten safe drinking water.

ISAP has published a new resource for Illinois farmers and farm advisors that clearly communicates the role of soil health practices in addressing agronomic challenges and resource concerns.
ISAP’s “Introduction to Soil Health Practices” identifies and explains the cause of several conditions that often lead to common resource or agronomic concerns for farmers, including erosion, compaction, weed pressure, and nutrient loss.

The substantial contribution of event flows to P loss during the non-growing season calls for a system of stacked practices to reduce P loss from both surface runoff and drainage discharge. Generally, there are four strategies to address both water quality and crop production needs:

Attention Illinois Farmers! The annual Conservation Cropping Seminar will be taking place January 31, 2024 with both virtual and in-person options. The event will be held from 9am-3:30pm with the in-person attendees meeting at the Illinois Department of Ag Building in Springfield, IL. 

The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Illinois State Conservationist Tammy Willis announced a new statewide funding opportunity for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The new EQIP-IRA ranking pool will offer five management practices to include conservation crop rotation, cover crop, no-till, reduced tillage, and nutrient management. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making historic investments to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and streamlining the program to make it work better for producers and partners. This combination will deliver conservation at a scale never before achieved through RCPP.

Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) in Springfield, Ill., announced Oct. 17 it has received a major gift from Roland Machinery Co. (RMC), also of Springfield, and has named its new Diesel Technologies Lab in honor of the Roland family.

The two employees were attempting to remove soil from below a concrete slab located within a trench when the slab broke apart and collapsed, fatally crushing both workers. U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors found that Triumph Construction failed to:

• Support the concrete slab, exposing both employees to the danger of a collapse.

• Instruct employees on safe methods to remove the slab and provide supervision to ensure those methods were followed.

• Construct the excavation's protective system based on designs in accordance with OSHA standards.

As you should be aware, there has been a rush of legislative and administrative changes throwing old employment practices into disarray; changing precedent, instituting new standards for classic employment benefits and rights, and redefining the responsibilities and duties of employers to their employees. We have seen this arrive on the federal and state level, so the reach of these changes cannot be underestimated.

On March 13, 2023, the Paid Leave for All Workers Act was signed by Governor J.B. Pritzker to take effect on January 1, 2024.

What employers are covered under the new law?  Private and public employers with at least one employee. Also includes State of Illinois, local governments, and political subdivision employers.

In September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released two joint coordination memorandums on jurisdictional determinations 1) under the 2023 waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule (as amended in September) and 2) under the “pre-2015 regulatory regime” that is in effect in the 27 states where the Biden Administration’s rule is on hold. 

For farmers who face wet fields that limit their productivity, drain tile can be a savior. But it comes with a hefty price tag. Beyond the financial cost, some farmers face a moral dilemma: Water moved from the tile system must go somewhere.

Researchers at Michigan State University Extension have been pondering a crucial question for a while: How can we achieve our objective of minimizing phosphorus (P) runoff into Lake Erie? Understanding the timing of P loss is instrumental in shaping our decision-making process.

Subsurface drainage is a must for many growers who need to remove excess water from their lands in order to ensure suitable crop growth conditions.

In some cases, however, subsurface drainage can lead to serious problems. In the U.S. Midwest, for instance, some drainage practices provide a pathway for nitrogen and phosphorus loss into waterways, which can create environmental problems as far away as the Gulf of Mexico.

As more research goes into drainage water recycling systems, a new report from the Transforming Drainage project shows that drainage water recycling systems not only provide a benefit to the environment, but can also improve corn yields.

As most kids know, a big pile of mud can be a load of fun.

But not for farmers. Muddy fields mean too much water. And too much water means crops might not grow well.

Farmers often install underground drains, called tile drains, in waterlogged soils to help move the excess water away quickly. The drier soils are beneficial to their crops.

But there is one potential downside: nitrogen.

The Soil Health Institute and National Association of Conservation Districts announced the results of a nationwide study that demonstrates how improving soil health can help farmers build resilience and improve profitability across a diversity of soil types, geographies, and cropping systems.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s fairly confident that Congress will succeed in either passing an extension to the 2018 farm bill or finish up work on a new one by the end of the year in order to avoid severe repercussions of doing nothing.

The consequence of doing nothing would be the automatic onset of so-called “permanent” farm bill provisions created in 1938 and 1949 that are idled every time a new farm bill is enacted. The 2018 farm bill technically expired on Sept. 30, but it’s not until 2024 that farm commodity and dairy support programs are superseded by permanent law.

Limited floor time for debate and bill consideration is a common rationale for Congress not to consider must pass bills like the appropriations and farm bills. The unexpected leadership battle in the House – hopefully resolved by the time you are reading this – has delayed the House from formally meeting. Now the tragic war in the Middle East will push other issues to the back burner as the Administration and the Congress determine the best response.

NRCS State Conservationist, Tammy Willis announced funding is now available for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agriculture Land Easements (ACEP-ALE). The program provides an opportunity for landowners to place land into an easement while continuing to produce an agricultural commodity. 

Tammy Willis, State Conservationist, announced the first application cutoff period for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE) of December 1, 2023. The purpose of the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) program is to help landowners to restore, enhance and protect habitat for wetland wildlife on cropland and adjacent acres.

The Land Improvement Contractors of America is honored to be part of Drainage Contractor’s  50-year anniversary. Drainage is the foundation upon which LICA was built.

In 1938 a group of terrace contractors in Missouri got together to form the Missouri Terracing and Conservation Contractors Association. In 1948 the Michigan Farm Trenchers Association was formed. Contractors in Iowa and Minnesota in 1949 formed the Midwest Drainage and Soil Conservation Contractor Association, and in 1952 the Kansas Conservation Contractor Association was formed. 

​USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Illinois will be holding a final sign-up period for the Floodplain Easement component of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWPP-FPE).  Landowners impacted by flooding from the breach of the Len Small Levee in 2016 and subsequent flooding from additional years are encouraged to apply.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making more than $3 billion in funding available for agricultural producers and forest landowners nationwide to participate in voluntary conservation programs and adopt climate-smart practices in fiscal year 2024 as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The announcement comes as the Biden-Harris Administration hosts the first-ever White House Climate Resilience Summit.  

Springfield Plastics is kicking off its 10th Drain for the Cure fundraiser. The fundraiser supports cancer research, prevention, and treatment at Simmons Cancer Institute at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and John Stoddard Cancer Center at UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa.