With the weather cooling down and the leaves dropping, it’s time to start thinking about forestry management plans and this season’s management goals. In addition to potentially reducing taxes, a forestry management plan from a certified forester will provide you…
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CHAMPAIGN – An innovative statewide conservation program is helping more Illinois farmers ensure they are protecting their farmland and our environment, all via a free, handy evaluation tool that has them thinking more strategically about the rich soil that produces…
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SPRINGFIELD, IL – With near-record flooding and a serious delay in the planting season, Governor JB Pritzker has convened appropriate members of his cabinet to ensure that Illinois farmers can access all available state resources, including pooling efforts and resources…
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The Coles County SWCD is offering an internship as an Education Specialist for the 2019-2020 school year. Under the guidance of the Education Coordinator, the Education Specialist-Intern will develop and present conservation, environmental, and agricultural education programs to audiences of…
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An abandoned well can pose a health and safety hazard if it is improperly sealed or not sealed at all. In fact, the Illinois Water Well Construction Code requires the owner of a water well to properly seal the well…
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USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began accepting applications on June 3, 2019, for certain practices under the continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup and will offer extensions for expiring CRP contracts. FSA stopped accepting applications last fall for the continuous…
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The Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources (STAR) program will soon be entering it’s 3rd year, and with endorsements and support from the Illinois Soil and Water Conservation District Association, Illinois Department of Agriculture, and a number of industry groups, the program…
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The Illinois Extension’s Master Naturalist Program is coming to Coles County! If you are an adult who loves the outdoors, has a concern for the local environment and wants to provide education and service to help your local community this…
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We received some really great submissions for this year’s local Conservation Photo Contest. Congratulations to this year’s winners: Sandra Cooper and Joseph Perez! Cooper’s submission “Monarch Magnet” took first in Close Up Conservation. Perez received several first place awards: in…
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USDA-NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary conservation program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural and forestland producers to install conservation practices. In addition to conservation practices, EQIP funds plan development, such as Comprehensive Nutrient Management…
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