Illinois lawmakers call out unbalanced conservation funding

On Friday, a group of Illinois legislators requested the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) increase the state’s conservation funding to better reflect Illinois’ agricultural production.

The state’s Senators and 11 of its democratic congressmen highlighted the disadvantage Illinois producers face for conservation funding. The letter states, from 2018 to 2022, Illinois ranked fourth in planted cropland, but 37th in national USDA conservation funds.

“USDA must boost the percentage of conservation funds sent to Illinois to match our status as a top farming state,” the letter said. “USDA also must simplify its rules to accommodate Illinois farmers and place greater emphasis on achieving environmental results in a swift timeframe: millions of new acres of cover crops, conservation tillage, and fertilizer reduction practices installed in Illinois, in the next few years.”

Senators Richard Durbin, Tammy Duckworth and Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) Sorensen, Johnathan Jackson (IL-1), Robin Kelly (IL-2), Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Sean Casten (IL-6), Danny Davis (IL-7), Bill Foster (IL-11), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8), Mike Quigley (IL-5) and Delia Ramirez (IL-3) authored the letter.

The lawmakers state funding increases would help farmers address fertilizer runoff, dust storms and pave the way for climate-smart markets.

The congressmen also suggested the administration take a broader, more flexible approach to its conservation practices. “In addition, USDA must rethink how these conservation programs are administered, because the current one-size-fits-all approach does not work in Illinois,” the letter said. “Illinois farms have a tremendous diversity of terrain, soils, moisture, microclimates, weather patterns, and cropping practices. USDA, however, requires all farms, regardless of location, to adopt uniform, inflexible ‘standards’ to be eligible for reimbursement for adopting these conservation practices.”

IL Corn’s Director of Conservation and Nutrient Stewardship Megan Dwyer says the organization welcomes the legislators’ support and hopes the administration will take note. “Our farmers care about improving water quality and soil health,” Dwyer said. “However, we know implementing new practices, especially when margins are tight can be difficult. We will continue to work on behalf of Illinois farmers to bring new, innovative programs to our state that address climate concerns and increase farmland resiliency.”