Winter 2015 - Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District
Transcription
Winter 2015 - Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District
Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Volume 26 Number 1 Conservation 685 Larry Power Road Bourbonnais, IL 60914 Phone (815) 937-8940 Ext. 3 Trenton Radar Ext. 112 Michelle Pearion Ext. 101 www.kankakeecountyswcd.org Q u a r t e r l y Conservation District Manager Report By Rich Howell, CPESC 2014 was a year when the Kankakee SWCD continued its efforts to show the public a better way to manage our natural resources while going through a staff change. By the time you read this, I will have retired and Michelle Pearion will be sitting at the SWCD desk. Pearion brings a strong background in native plants and has volunteered at both Camp Shaw and Langham Island on restoration efforts. She will be a great resource for all who are seeking more native plants in their gardens, yards and fields. The Kankakee SWCD’s website, www.kankakeecountyswcd.org, is back up. It not only has information on SWCD activities, it contains links to many environmental and agricultural websites. Pearion has added a number of native plants for the spring tree sale and information and order forms can be found on the website. Directors Jeff O’Connor Chairman Larry Kirchner Vice Chairman Alan Wissmiller Secretary Dave Peters Treasurer Erich Schott Director Associate Directors John Settle Staff Michelle Pearion Resource Conservationist Linda Settle District Administrative Coordinator Trenton Rader NRCS District Conservationist Regular Board meetings are held the second Monday of each month at the District office and are open to the public. The Kankakee SWCD prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. My focus for the last four months of the year has been working with the contractors and owners of the Pilot Hill Wind Farm to ensure that they complied with their state and local erosion and sediment control permits. The weather has provided a number of challenges but I have found all of the contractors to be willing to listen to suggestions and to change their methods when needed. I know that road projects are challenging due to their linear construction site, but the wind farm has brought many more challenges to ensure that field entrances are located in the right spot and maintained properly all while ensuring that sediment does not leave the field and that drainage is not negatively impacted. The Kankakee SWCD will remain vigilant in these efforts through the remaining construction period. The wind farm was not the only new construction in Kankakee County as I inspected new construction in Herscher, Bourbonnais, Bradley, Kankakee and Manteno. There were more IEPA permits granted in 2014 than there were in 2013 which is a good sign for our local economy. 2014 was another year of challenges for the Kankakee SWCD due to the struggles of the State of Illinois to fund agencies. 2015 may be even more challenging as the State prioritizes with even less revenue. The Kankakee SWCD Board continues to be frugal with its resources but it becomes tougher each year when the State reduces its funding for SWCDs. Kankakee River issues were another focus for me in 2014 and will remain a focus for the Board and staff in 2015. The Kankakee River Roundtable has moved the process forward but finding an appropriate off load site has become a huge challenge and securing funding for a pilot or demonstration project is still problematic. The big key for the community as it goes forward is to develop and secure a dedicated funding source for continuous removal and disposal of sand from the River. The stormwater holding capacity continues to degrade as sand (continued on page 2) The Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District will inform the public on the value of the environment through activities that advocate the wise use of our natural resources by working cooperatively with other agencies and organizations. 2 Conservation District Manager Report (continued from page 1) C o n s e r v a t i o n Q u a r t e r l y fills the pool, and I don’t think anyone knows exactly what would happen if a major flood hit Kankakee County. As more and more impervious surfaces are created in the watershed, the faster the water will get to the pool. This increase of speed raises the potential for a major flood and the best way to minimize this is to clean the pool and restore the storage capacity. The weather in 2014 negatively impacted both of the SWCD’s major education outreach. Kids Day at the Farm and Natural Resources Day at Camp Shaw were cancelled. I did again serve as an oral presentation judge at the Illinois State Envirothon and assisted with the FFA Section 10 Land Use Judging contest. Pearion and I assisted with the Grundy County SWCD’s Environmental Day with a presentation on the impact to people and animals when resources become scarce. The Kankakee SWCD also hosted Rob Miller of the IDNR for a pond management workshop. I hope that 2015 will bring continued growth in the importance of natural resources protection while allowing for their wise use. We are blessed in Kankakee County and Illinois with some of the greatest soils in the world. Their continued improvement and protection should be vitally important for everyone. Message From The Chairman by Jeff O’Connor Every year I have the opportunity to put down a few mostly random thoughts and place them in our newsletter. I will admit that not much planning is placed into this until I actually sit before the computer and write. However, this year is slightly different due to a fortunate series of events. What resulted was a narrow theme of, “What’s old is new”. Anyone who knows me is aware that I have two incredible young ladies living in the house, Morgan is 18 and Kelsey is 16. Because of them and their friends, I am completely aware of trends in fashion and décor, at least to the degree that a father can be aware, somewhere around 49% of actual trends. I am actually able to add to some of the conversations taking place because of my own unique historical contributions. I’m still waiting for parachute pants to come back with the side zippers down the leg. And NO, I didn’t have a pair myself. By now I hope to have completely lost the few remaining individuals who think that I can tie this back into an article on conservation. I have a plan that I think will work and it begins with Rich Howell. As most are aware, Rich Howell retired earlier this year. The District and Kankakee County has lost a strong advocate for the natural resources of the county. He had worked tirelessly to see that the direction the Board had laid out was given due diligence. We may not always have been able to meet our objectives but it was not because of lack of Rich’s efforts. Remember, this is a government body and we may not always have absolute control. Direction, yes, but not control. Rich will be deeply missed by everyone. Sometime in the last year Rich gave me a document that he thought I might be interested in having. It was a Soil and Water Conservation Plan from 1964 that had been sitting on one of the office shelves for decades. The value in it to me: it was for the farm operated by my grandfather, MD O’Connor. Granted, much has changed in agriculture since 1964, a fact that is no different for the O’Connor family. The dairy cows left either in late 1965 or early 1966. The multiflora rose planting that this plan recommended left at some point in the 70’s. And the pasture land and hay that the plan included left in the 80’s. No doubt some of the clothes I wore removing old fences would now be coveted by this generation. Much of what was included in this plan simply didn’t stand up to the test of time. However, some of it did. One area that has had a profound impact on the O’Connor farming operation has been farm drainage by the use of underground tile. Starting with my grandfather, tile installation has long been a component of any successful farm plan. The old recommendations included in the 1964 plan of clay tile every 75’-100’ has since seen plastic tile every 37.5’. A current conservation plan would now include water table management and nutrient loss reduction through the use of structures. Even after reading through the entire plan the fact that struck me most was the inclusion of 10-12# of brome grass seeded into standing corn at last cultivation. It seems the idea of cover cropping is actually quite old. I don’t know that my grandfather ever attempted this cover as it seems quite impractical with the timing, a barrier that still exists today but becoming more probable with each passing year. Farming will continue to evolve as will the conservation efforts surrounding it. The individuals supporting and implementing the changes will also change. The 1964 Conservation Plan clearly illustrates this as no individuals who wrote or implemented the plan remain. However the fundamentals of sound soil and water stewardship do remain: protect that which can not be replaced. So to Eugene Phelps who wrote the original plan and my grandfather, thank you. To Rich Howell, thank you, you will long be remembered and even longer appreciated. Spring • Volume 26 Number 1 NRCS Annual Report 3 Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Q u a r t e r l y Soil health is a main focus of our conservation efforts as of late. Many of the conservation practices that we promote through our programs deal directly with improving the overall condition of our soils. Managing your operation for soil health is one of the most effective ways to increase productivity while also improving the environment. There are four basic principles you can follow to improve soil sustainability and health: Increase plant diversity (additional crops in rotation), keep soil disturbance to a minimum (decrease tillage), keep plants growing throughout the year (cover crops), and keep soil covered as much as possible (residue/tillage management, cover crops, rotations). In addition to specific soil health improvements these types of conservation measures also provide additional environmental, economic, health, and societal benefits. Producers can save energy by using less fuel for tillage and maximizing nutrient cycling. Healthy soils are more resistant to pests and disease problems are more tolerant of drought conditions. NRCS can assist producers in a variety of ways concerning soil health; from technical assistance to cost-share payments for implementing some of these conservation practices through the EQIP and CSP programs. For more information about integrating some of these practices into your farming operation please contact Trenton Rader at (815) 937-8940 x 3. C o n s e r v a t i o n NRCS had a very busy 2014 that was full of challenges, success stories, and changes. The 2014 Farm Bill was enacted on February 7th, 2014. The new Farm Bill continues to offer voluntary programs that benefit the environment as well as agricultural producers. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) continues to gain popularity in Kankakee County and across the state. CSP was first available to producers in 2010 and consisted of 5 –year contracts; meaning that 2014 should have been the final year for payments. NRCS rolled out a new option for these expiring contracts in which the operator could renew their contracts for 5 more years if they were willing to implement additional conservation activities. I was pleased that 100% of all the contracts up for renewal in Kankakee County chose to continue with the program. Regular CSP enrollment for 2014 funding also saw a significant increase in participation. There were an additional 12 contracts which brought the total amount of acres enrolled in CSP to over 21,000 for the county. Our other conservation program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, continues to assist farmers with addressing specific resource concerns on their land. NRCS has conservation practice designed to fix many of these issues such as gully erosion, soil quality, nutrient management, grazing efficiency, and many others. If you have a problem on any of your farms that NRCS can assist with, please call to schedule a field visit with me. C o n s e r v a t i o n Q u a r t e r l y 4 Kankakee County Farm Bureau -- An annual report for the Soil and Water Conservation District The 2014 crop season started off very wet, giving concern that with a delay in spring planting, there could be a late harvest. It seemed like the challenges left over from the bitter winter just wouldn’t end. The rest of the growing season turned out to be nearly ideal and there were many predictions of record yields. At their annual yield check banquet, the Kankakee County Corn Growers predicted the highest corn yield ever with a predicted county-wide average of 179 bushels of corn per acre. This estimate is given credence due to the accuracy of previous Corn Growers predictions. Those widespread bin-busting predictions and ideal growing conditions had an effect on the grain markets. Corn and soybean prices are half of what they were two years ago, tightening farmers’ profit margins. During the 2014 harvest, farmers encountered wet weather similar to what was experienced in the spring. Despite the early fall precipitation, harvest was able to be completed almost on schedule and the yields proved to be abundant overall. Several Kankakee County farmers remarked that the farm land that typically produces the best yields did not do so this year but in fact, it was the marginal ground that produced the better yields. As my Grandpa Miller used to say, “Every year is different.” Every year certainly is different, and every year has the potential to hold a few surprises. Last year finally brought us our long-awaited national farm legislation. Farmers will soon need to be making decisions on which government programs they will participate in for the remainder of this farm bill. There are several elections to be made, so be sure that you make an informed decision. The Farm Bureau is providing informational meetings this winter on the important details and rules of this farm bill. On Thursday, February 5, 2015, we will be holding a session at 8 am at the Kankakee Hilton Garden Conference Center. The February 5 program is free of charge but please register by calling the Farm Bureau office. In early 2015, Rich Howell, Conservation District Manager of the Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District, will be retiring. Rich will have completed nearly 24 years in that position where he has been a strong advocate for our natural resources and for agriculture. Over the years, Rich and I have worked together on many projects and have regularly attended the same meetings. I enjoyed knowing that Rich and I usually would be on the same side of an issue since he had a knack for making sure that his point was delivered strongly. In making his points, Rich usually brought a lot of common sense back into the discussion. It has been a pleasure working with Rich during the years that I have been at the Kankakee County Farm Bureau and I appreciated the opportunity to have worked with him. I’d like to wish Rich and his wife Pat well in their retirements. Together Rich and I have celebrated several victories for agriculture, but there are many more challenges ahead. I look forward to working with Michelle Pearion, the new Conservation District Manager, as we address the challenges that the future holds. On the topic of staffing changes, if you have called or stopped by the Farm Bureau office over the past several months, you have noticed that we have a new administrative assistant. After 30 years of employment at the County Farm Bureau, Mary Lou Bauer retired on September 30, 2014 which created an opening filled by Rose Devine Mitchell. Rose began her employment with the Farm Bureau on September 16, 2014 and comes to us from the Kankakee Community College. For the previous nine years, Rose held the position of Executive Secretary to the President and Board of Trustees at KCC. During that time, she was the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce Cutting Edge Award in 2011. Prior to her work at KCC, Rose worked at the Bourbonnais Township Park District and in several area law offices. Rose was raised in a farm family in the Chebanse area where her father, Edward, was a seed salesman. Rose and her husband Gary, a retired Kankakee County Sheriff’s Lieutenant, live in Limestone and enjoy spending time with their grandchildren. Rose brings an exceptional amount of professionalism to the Farm Bureau office and a (continued on page 5) John Bright Manager Certified Crop Advisor P.O. Box 84 Reddick, IL 60961 Toll Free: 866-309-6676 E-Mail: [email protected] Spring • Volume 26 Bus: 815-365-2343 Home: 815-426-6412 Fax: 815-365-2853 Nextel: 815-530-6425 Number 1 Kankakee County Farm Bureau (continued from page 4) 5 fresh perspective in implementing office procedures. If you haven’t already had the opportunity to do so, please welcome Rose to the Farm Bureau office when you next call on our services. Organized in 1912, the Kankakee County Farm Bureau has a rich heritage. The Farm Bureau remains progressive by realizing that as issues change and evolve, so will the goals and objectives of the organization. We pride ourselves as being accessible and responsive to comments and suggestions from our membership, so do not hesitate to contact your members of the Farm Bureau Board or the Farm Bureau office staff. We appreciate your membership support. Please let us know if we can improve our service to you and your farm family. There are some great things on the horizon again for this year, so keep in touch and participate in any activities and events that interest you. Chad Miller, Manager Kankakee County Farm Bureau (815) 932-7471 | [email protected] Native Plant Sale In addition to the semi-annual tree and shrub sale, this year the district will be holding a spring native plant sale. In case you need enticing, here are a few reasons to give natives a try! Many native plants can thrive in difficult locations and are drought tolerant once established. Additionally, Illinois native plants bring the three Bs: birds, butterflies, and beauty, to your property. Native plants provide food, shelter, and nesting material for birds. Planting a portion of native prairie on your property can give many grassland birds a place to feed and nest. The simple incorporation of native plants in home landscaping can invite a wide variety of creatures to your property and provide you with enhanced wildlife viewing. Butterflies enjoy nectar from a variety of native plants but many must also use natives as their larval food supply. Local plants and butterflies have evolved together over many thousands of years. During this time, plants began producing different chemical compounds to discourage insects from eating them. Insects, in turn, developed tolerances to the compounds produced by the local plants. This long relationship has resulted in caterpillars with a tolerance to the defensive chemical compounds produced by a narrow selection of local plants, often in the same or related plant families. Many non-native plants aren’t used by caterpillars of native butterflies because they can’t tolerate the chemical compounds produced by these foreign plants. This is yet another reason to give natives a try! The District will offer thirty-three species of forbs and six species of grasses for pre-order. The order deadline is April 14th. Please order early for best availability. Plant pick-up will be May 30th from 9-1. It is anticipated that there will be extra and additional species for sale on the day of pick-up. Plant descriptions and sale information can be found on the district website, www.kankakeecountyswcd.org. Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Q u a r t e r l y The County Farm Bureau placed strongly in these categories due to the leadership of our County Farm Bureau board of directors and many other dedicated volunteers. Without our members being engaged, we simply would not be effective. It also needs to be said that we often effectively accomplish our objectives by collaborating with other organizations such as the Soil and Water Conservation District and the University of Illinois Extension. Their partnerships are invaluable. C o n s e r v a t i o n We had another good year at the County Farm Bureau in 2014 serving our members and the agriculture community. At the Illinois Farm Bureau annual meeting held this past December, our Kankakee County Farm Bureau received an impressive list of awards. Out of the 19 County Farm Bureaus in our membership group, Kankakee County Farm Bureau placed fourth in the Legislative/Political Process area. Maintaining a strong legislative voice for our agriculture community is extremely important to the Kankakee County Farm Bureau. The County Farm Bureau placed fifth in Agriculture Literacy programming. Educating youth about the importance of agriculture certainly is a focus for the Kankakee County Farm Bureau and is accomplished by working effectively through our many dedicated volunteers. Other highlights in the County Farm Bureau’s awards were in Local Affairs activities and Policy Development programming. We also received special recognition for attaining our membership quota for the year. 6 Farm Service Agency - A Look Back at 2014 C o n s e r v a t i o n Q u a r t e r l y The year began with one of the harshest winters in Illinois history. In fact, 2014 was considered the coldest year since 1979 and the sixth coldest year since records began in 1895. Most fields were snow covered from the beginning of the year through late-March. Many producers decided to destroy wheat that had been planted the previous fall. A new 5-year Farm Bill was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on February 7, 2014. The legislation put an end to Direct Payments, a system that paid producers regardless of whether or not they incurred losses. It replaced Direct Payments with two new programs designed to reduce the deficit while still providing farmers a safety-net in case of future price declines and/or revenue losses. Producers have the option to choose from either the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program or the Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) program. These new programs provide financial assistance whenever prices and/or revenues fall below certain levels. The 2014 Farm Bill also streamlined conservation programs, added new crop insurance options, and expanded programs for specialty crops. Weather conditions eventually improved and corn planting began in mid-April. It progressed at a rapid pace reaching 95% complete on May 27th. Soybean planting followed closely behind reaching 92% completion on June 9th, considerably ahead of the 5-year average. Continuous sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was open all year to anyone interested in protecting the environment and preserving natural resources. A modest number of new CRP enrollments were received. Under CRP, farmers plant grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams or rivers. The plantings prevent soil and nutrients from washing into waterways, reduce soil erosion that may otherwise contribute to poor air and water quality, and provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Timely and plentiful rainfall during the summer months made for ideal growing conditions in 2014. Area producers were extremely optimistic regarding the potential for above average yields. Unfortunately, high yield prospects had a negative impact on commodity prices. Several months passed between the passage of the Farm Bill and the issuance of the actual regulations and computer software to local FSA county offices. The first regulations released covered disaster programs for livestock losses. To be eligible, the livestock death loss must have been related to an extreme or abnormal weather event. A handful of applications were received in Kankakee County for losses associated with the winter storms and extreme cold temperatures experienced in January and February. The Farm Bill allows producers to update their current base and yield on each farm. The regulations and software necessary to carry out these calculations arrived in September and all FSA employees received training in October. The local FSA county office has spent the months since that time meeting with producers and collecting the required information to complete this update process. Farmers can then elect which one of the two new programs they intend to participate in following the update process. Corn harvest began in mid-September and once again almost ideal weather conditions allowed producers to continue at a rapid pace. Soybeans followed shortly thereafter. Soybean harvest was considered 91% complete on November 10th and corn harvest reached 94% complete on November 17th. Earlier expectations of high yields were indeed accurate. The USDA projected the 2014 U.S. corn crop to be a record 14.407 billion bushels, up 3% from the previous record set just one year ago in 2013. The 2014 U.S. soybean crop was projected to be 3.958 billion bushels, up 2% from a year ago. The average U.S. corn yield was pegged at 173.4 bushels per acre and the average U.S. soybean yield came in at 47.5 bushels per acre. Commodity prices fluctuated during the year, but there was an overall decline from $4.20 per bushel for corn and $13.10 per bushel for soybeans at the beginning of the year to approximately $3.55 per bushel and $10.00 per bushel respectively at the end of the year. As we plan for the new year, it appears workload in the FSA county office will be quite heavy in 2015. Since there was no sign-up for 2014 due to the late passage of the Farm Bill, all producers will complete both a 2014 and a 2015 contract during the sign-up period this go around. As in years past, the Kankakee County FSA will work closely with NRCS and the SWCD to provide the necessary support to enhance farm profitability and to conserve our natural resources. Spring • Volume 26 Number 1 We Depend on Soils 7 Did you know…? Healthy soils are the basis for healthy food production Soils host a quarter of our planet’s biodiversity Soils help to combat and adapt to climate change by playing a key role in the carbon cycle Soils store and filter water improving our resilience to floods and droughts Soil is a non-renewable resource, its preservation is essential for food security and our sustainable future Source: Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations and USDA NRCS Kankakee County SWCD Sixty-seventh Annual Meeting February 10, 2014 The sixty-seventh Annual Meeting of the Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District was held on Monday, February 10, 2014 at the Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District office in Bourbonnais with 10 people present. Chairman Jeff O’Connor opened the business portion of the Annual Meeting at 6:10 P.M. Board members and staff present: Directors Jeff O’Connor, Larry Kirchner, Alan Wissmiller, Dave Peters and Erich Schott, Associate Director John Settle, Conservation District Manager Rich Howell and Administrative Coordinator Linda Settle. The agenda was presented; a motion to approve the agenda as presented was made by Rich Howell and seconded by Shannon Settle. Alan Wissmiller reported the minutes of the 66th Annual Meeting were provided for everyone and are being published in the Annual Report. A motion was made by Alan Wissmiller to approve the minutes as printed; it was seconded by Erich Schott. Motion passed. Dave Peters reported the financial statement was provided for everyone and is being published in the Annual Report. A motion was made by Dave Peters to approve the report as printed; it was seconded by Larry Kirchner. Motion passed. Jeff O’Connor reported for the nominating committee and presented the names of Dave Peters of Manteno Township, Alan Wissmiller of Limestone Township and Larry Kirchner of Salina Township in nomination for 2-year terms each. He then asked for nominations from the floor and when none were received he moved to accept the nominated candidates as duly elected, it was seconded by Rich Howell. Motion passed. A motion was made by Rich Howell and seconded by Larry Kirchner to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 6:15 P.M. Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Q u a r t e r l y C o n s e r v a t i o n The International Year of Soils began in January to raise awareness of the importance of soil in our lives. “Most people don’t realize that just beneath our feet lies a diverse, complex, life-giving ecosystem that sustains our entire existence,” said Jason Weller, chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).The NRCS will be working with partners throughout the year to highlight the importance of soil with monthly themes. For more information please visit the NRCS International Year of Soils webpage at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/yos/. C o n s e r v a t i o n Q u a r t e r l y 8 NRCS Accepting Applications for 2015 Conservation Stewardship Program The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) can provide payments that help agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems as well as adopt additional activities to integrate into their operations. The program emphasizes conservation performance — producers earn higher payments for higher performance while keeping land in production. In CSP, producers implement conservation enhancements to make positive changes in soil quality, soil erosion, water quality, water quantity, air quality, plant resources, animal resources and energy. Some popular enhancements used by farmers in Illinois include: • Planting cover crops • Using new nozzles that reduce the drift of pesticides • Modifying water facilities to prevent bat and bird species from becoming trapped • Stalk nitrate testing to improve nitrogen management • Nutrient management – split nitrogen application • High level integrated pest management • Rotating feeding areas and monitoring key grazing areas • Many other enhancements are available… Eligible agricultural operators should contact the local NRCS office to apply for 2015 CSP funding. Contact Trenton Rader, District Conservationist, in the Bourbonnais USDA Service Center at (815) 937-8940 ext. 3. Momence Bottle Gas Service Bulk and Bottled Pure Propane Serving Home & Agricultural needs for 50 years in Kankakee, Iroquois & Will Counties Momence, IL 60954 - (815) 472-4814 Winter • Volume 25 Number 4 Report FY Annual Annual Report FY20142014 6/30/2014 9 6/30/2014 INCOME 50,969.00 4,400.00 2,080.00 22,526.58 400.00 5,137.50 22.33 1,080.00 $ 86,615.41 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 56,615.53 192.97 14,139.32 2,458.60 2,167.60 2,484.69 20.00 10,922.80 $ 89,001.51 $ (2,386.10) EXPENSES Staff Promotional Activities Sales Travel and Training Printing and Reproduction Office Operations Dues and Subscriptions CPP Projects/Well Sealing Total Expense NET INCOME HOBART WIELGUS 7923 E 2250 S Rd. St. Anne, IL 60964 Cell Phone: 815-953-8461 Farm Tiling Tile Repair Demolition Septic Systems (Installation and Repair) License 049-032170 Sewer and Water Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Q u a r t e r l y Total Income $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ C o n s e r v a t i o n State of Illinois CPP-Projects/Special Projects Newsletter Ads Sales NRI Production E & SC Plans Interest Used Oil C o n s e r v a t i o n Q u a r t e r l y 10 Calendar Corner March March 20Spring pond stocking sale grass carp order deadline March 31Spring pond stocking sale order deadline April April 7 Pond stocking order pick-up 7am April 7 Wet and Wild Landscaping with Native Plants class held at U of I Extension 1-3pm April 8 April 14 Native plant sale order deadline April 17 Tree and shrub order pick-up 7:30-3:30 April 25 Wildflower walk-Camp Shaw 1pm M a y May 2 May 30 Native plant order pick-up and sale 9am-1pm Spring tree and shrub order deadline Invasive species workday- Garlic mustard at Camp Shaw Beaverville • 815-435-2046 Gilman • 800-442-3693 Herscher • 815-426-6556 St. George • 815-937-3161 Beecher • 708-946-2236 Bourbonnais • 815-933-4045 St. Anne • 815-427-8171 Kankakee • 815-802-2789 People • Products • Services • Solutions Mark Richie (815) 674-4159 Bryan Johnston (815) 419-5985 CABERY FERTILIZER 310 CHESTER STREET P.O. BOX 95 CABERY, IL 60919 Keith mathison (815) 674-0744 Spring • Volume 26 Number 1 (815) 949-1531 FAX (815) 949-1524 2014 Sponsors The Soil and Water Conservation District Grosso Construction Company Trucking - Excavating - Earth Moving Road Building - Farm Drainage 4594B W. Rt. 17, Kankakee, IL 60901 - (815) 932-9118 Rich Howell a very happy retirement. We sincerely appreciate all that you did for conservation within Kanakee County. Thank you State Bank of Herscher Complete Banking Service 10 Tobey Drive, P.O. Box 68, Herscher, IL 60941 - (815) 426-2156 5053 W Rt 17, Kankakee, IL 60901 - (815) 932-9160 Wepprecht Drainage, Inc. Farm Drainage - Backhoe 2620 N. 12250 W. Rd., Bonfield, IL 60913 - (815) 426-6479 Value Partners Seed Services Have your soybean yields peaked? Contact us about: Custom Seed Treatments Industry-Leading Inoculants Dow AgroSciences LLC Hawthorne Lane Peotone, IL 60468 Tel 708-258-0170 Fax 708-258-6436 Mobile 815-263-2767 [email protected] www.dowagro.com Kevin Winter 815-351-8648 John Lilienthal Mbl. 815-405-5444 Ryan Heldt, CCA Sales Representative Central Midwest District Scott Jensen 815-955-5535 Kankakee County Soil and Water Conservation District Q u a r t e r l y Herscher Grain Company Grain - Seeds - Fertilizer - Chemical Custom Application - Total Crop Commitment Herscher, IL 60941 - (815) 426-2231 staff and board would like to wish C o n s e r v a t i o n Brorsen Appraisal Service, P.C. Real Estate Appraisals for Agriculture / Residential / Commercial Andrew Brorsen, ARA, MAI, SRA Kathy Brorsen, SRA Matthew Brorsen, General Certified 1235 Stanford Dr., Kankakee, IL - (815) 939-4930 11 Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Kankakee, IL Permit #185 685 Larry Power Road Bourbonnais, Illinois 60914 Return Service Requested t h i s Conservation District Manager Report Message From the Chairman NRCS Annual Report Kanakee County Farm Bureau Native Plant Sale Farm Service Agency A Look Back at 2014 i s s u e We Depend On Soils NRCS Accepting Applications for 2015 Conservation Stewardship Program Kankakee County SWCD Sixty-seventh Annual Meeting Minutes Annual Report FY 2014 Calendar Corner Printed on Recycled Paper