The Coles County Soil and Water Conservation District offers a wide variety of technical services to promote the responsible and sustainable use of our local soil and water resources. Through the following programs, landowners can request technical assistance or apply for financial cost-share assistance to help offset the cost of installing best management practices to address soil and water resource concerns on their land. The services and levels of funding in each program vary, and often have limited geographic ranges and signup periods. Landowners with a resource concern are encouraged to contact the office to discuss your specific needs.
State Programs
Partners for Conservation Program (Formerly known as CPP)
The Partners for Conservation Program (PFC) from the IL Department of Agriculture promotes the construction or adoption of practices that conserve soil and protect water quality. Cost-share assistance may be available for practices such as waterways, cover crops, and sealing of abandoned wells. The Partners for Conservation Program (PFC) was formerly known as the Conservation Practices Program (CPP).
Streambank Stabilization and Restoration Program (SSRP)
The SSRP program from the IL Department of Agriculture works to stabilize and restore high priority streambanks that are severely eroding. Cost-share assistance may be available for practices such as bendway weirs, rock riffles, stream barbs/rock vanes, gabion baskets and stone toe protection.
Federal Programs
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) provides financial and technical assistance to eligible producers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land. CSP encourages land stewards to improve their conservation performance by installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities on agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest land. The entire agricultural operation must be enrolled and must include all agricultural land that will be under the applicant’s control for the term of the proposed contract that is operated substantially separate from other operations.
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a land conservation program. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and to plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. Some practices eligible for CRP are Field Borders, Filter Strips, Grassed Waterways, Pollinator Habitat and Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife, and Shelterbelts.
Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)
The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers through contracts up to a maximum term of ten years in length. These contracts provide financial assistance to help plan and implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns and for opportunities to improve soil, water, plant, animal, air and related resources.