You make your living from the land.  

 

You have been raised in the country, you’ve worked with Mother Nature all your life, and you understand that if you want the same sort of life for your children, you must preserve and conserve what is in your care.

 

Best management practices are the techniques and methods farmers use to take the best care of the soil, water, air, plants, and animals around them. IL Corn wants to partner with you to help you understand the best science, the best techniques, the best opportunities to care for your natural resources. 

We have programming that will help you test your water for nutrient levels, try out cover crops for the first time, and apply nitrogen in the most responsible way.  Our programming in this area continues to grow!  Please stay plugged in with us to keep learning and growing as a conservationist.

 

Making Nitrogen Decisions

In Illinois, researchers have been testing different amounts of nitrogen in corn fields for years. They collected the data from these tests and created an online tool. This tool considers the current prices of corn and nitrogen fertilizer to figure out the best amount of nitrogen to use for maximum profit per acre. It's called the "Maximum Return to Nitrogen" rate (MRTN). Farmers can use this tool to make sure they're getting the most economic benefit from their nitrogen program and feel sure about their decisions.

nitrogen calculator

Gain Access to Illinois' Premier Conservation Program

 

In 2016, IL Corn launched a farmer service program, Precision Conservation Management (PCM), in response to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. Today PCM is funded still by IL Corn and other organizations.
 

PCM works with farmers to help them understand the costs & benefits of adopting new conservation practices. They provide one-on-one support to qualifying farmers to help them understand the costs & benefits of adopting new conservation practices.

They provide FREE access to the Farmer Portal to any farmer who wants to contribute their farm data, and access recommendations based on other farmer participant’s aggregated, anonymized data.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT PCM PROGRAM

WHY SOIL HEALTH?

Lindsay Mitchell

May 22nd, 2017  |  Today's News |  Conservation

This year, 35 more farms will join a revolutionary research effort that will show U.S. farmers how sustainability through soil health can also lead to increased profitably. This is the largest...

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AUDIO REPORT: MANAGE NITROGEN APPLICATION TO MANAGE WATER QUALITY AND COSTS

Tricia Braid

May 3rd, 2017  |  Today's News |  Conservation

The growing season has started and most corn farmers have already applied nitrogen. It is a very expensive plant food and, as is explained in  this audio report,  getting the rate right may mean...

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WHY YOU NEED TO ESTABLISH MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITAT

Tricia Braid

May 1st, 2017  |  Today's News |  Conservation

May is Monarch Month. May is also the perfect time to sow milkweed seeds or direct transplant a small plant. Now, before you shut down on the idea of purposely adding milkweed to your farm, hear...

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