Crowd of soil health supporters on steps at Illinois State Capitol

Founder of Soil Health Week calls to treat land with love and respect

Dick Lyons, former Lincoln Land Community College and Illinois State University agriculture professor, was one of four founders of Illinois Soil Health Week. He was also the top corn and wheat producer (and fourth highest in soybeans) in Montgomery County during a census in 2018. Dick credits using no-till, cover […]

Jeff O’Conner speaks

Jeff O’Connor says when soil thrives, communities thrive as well

Jeff O’Connor, a farmer in Kankakee County, with the Illinois Soybean Association, and a board member of national STAR (Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources) presented during Soil Health Week’s The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday March 7, 2024 at the Illinois State Capitol:    The STAR […]

Frank Rademacher speaks

Frank Rademacher of The Nature Conservancy chooses soil health

Frank Rademacher of The Nature Conservancy, who farms with his father in Champaign County, presents during Soil Health Week’s The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday March 7, 2024 at the Illinois State Capitol:    We did not expect to go back to the farm. […]

Steve Stierwalt and Illinois State Representative Brandun Schweizer

STAR creator thanks SWCDs for work in promoting conservation

Steve Stierwalt, who serves with the Champaign County Soil and Water Conservation District, spoke during Soil Health Week’s The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday March 7, 2024 at the Illinois State Capitol. Stierwalt is one of the farmers who wondered how to encourage neighbors […]

Julie Hewitt speaks

Julie Hewitt says NREC’s science supports soil health

Julie Hewitt of the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council presents during Soil Health Week’s The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday March 7, 2024 at the Illinois State Capitol:  I’m with the Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council and pleased to be here on […]

May the forest be with you always - logo

AISWCD student contest adds Braille category

The Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts is very excited to see what students are creating for this year’s poster contest theme May the Forest Be with You Always. As a new addition this year, NACD is introducing a Braille Poster Contest for students who are blind or with […]

Jerry Costello II speaks

IDOA Director Jerry Costello wants cover crops to keep growing

  “There are no better stewards of the land in my opinion than farmers.” Presentation by Jerry Costello II, director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, during Soil Health Week The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday March 7, 2024 at the Illinois State Capitol: Thank you […]

State Rep. Jason Bunting speaks

Thanks to Illinois State Rep. Jason Bunting for supporting SWCDs

Thanks to Illinois State Rep. Jason Bunting for being a part of 2024 Soil Health Week The Art and Science of Soil Health Advocacy in Action Day Thursday March 7, 2024 at the Illinois State Capitol. The Association of Illinois Soil & Water Conservation Districts thanks Rep. Bunting sponsoring legislation to post […]

$5,000 in free soil analyses

Are you one of the Illinois landowners eligible for $5,000 in free soil analyses and consultation with a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research team? Check this map. Soil scientist Andrew Margenot stumbled upon a trove of soil samples dating back to the late 1800s in a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign […]