Completed within approximately 4 days, the IL Corn Growers’ field labs project was just as “big” and critical as the TWI project. This project was less of a demonstration than typical ILICA projects, but completed to serve as a research platform for ILCGA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant through the NRCS. The field lab project site located in Macon County near Blue Mound, IL totaled over 100 acres and included the installation of over 110,000 ft of drainage tile (mostly 4 inch laterals on 40 ft spacings) and installation of 37 water control structures. Multiple volunteer crews were onsite to help with dig-ins and connections just to stay ahead of the two tile plows running continuously alongside each other. While ILICA was onsite, the University of Illinois requested the installation of drainage tile on the remainder of their field (60 ac) which was also completed. ILICA Associates, once again, played an invaluable role on this project and deserve a huge "thank you" by providing donated & discounted equipment, products, and even man power! And our contractor membership under the guidance of Show Committee Chairman, Bill Doubet, and his delegated project manager for the IL Corn site, Jon Seevers, answered our call for help. We had sufficient membership, with the addition of larger member crews from SFDI, KFD, and Dean Drainage, to complete this project on-time and as planned. Thank you to all the members and crews listed right that played an active role in implementing this project on the landscape. Thank you also to our project partners, Laura Gentry & Rod Weinzierl (ILCGA) and the University of IL, and to Pistorius Farms for the opportunity to be a part of such a critically important conservation project and for all the time & resources you invested.

Volunteer Contractor Members:

Bill Doubet, Tom Beyers, Steve Anderson, Grant Curtis, Wayne Litwiller, Jon Seevers & SFDI Crew, Randy Brownfield & Crew, Eric Layden & Crew, Bill Dean & Crew, David Kennedy & KFD Crew, 360 Water Solutions Crew, Josh Keith & Crew, Jason Winings

Contributing Associates/Partners:

Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS); Agri Drain Corp.; Altorfer, Inc.; Birkey's; BRON; Central Illinois Ag; Fratco, Inc.; JCG Midwest Drainage Products; Martin Equipment of Illinois, Inc.; River Valley Pipe, LLC.; Roland Machinery Co.; Schlatter’s, Inc.; Springfield Plastics, Inc.; Vermeer Midwest, Inc.