Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program
Since 2015, Illinois Farm Bureau® (IFB) has contributed to an impressive statewide effort, the Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS). Through leadership and participation from our farmer members across the state, IFB has been able to make meaningful contributions toward water quality efforts in Illinois.
For the past several years, IFB has made it an organizational priority to lead on environmental issues, most notably, the NLRS. IFB’s NLRS efforts focus in four priority areas: 1) education and outreach to farmers, landowners and the general public; 2) supporting research of best management practices to reduce nutrient loss from agricultural fields; 3) supporting farmer implementation efforts across the state; and 4) demonstrating progress toward the long-term goals of the NLRS.
With the first year of work being completed in 2016, the Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program has become a cornerstone of IFB’s work to implement the NLRS, serving as one example of the many ways IFB is creating lasting impacts in implementing the NLRS across Illinois. This program funds County Farm Bureau® (CFB) projects focused on improving soil health and water quality throughout the state. Since 2015, IFB has dedicated over $1,165,000 to CFBs to complete a wide range of unique projects, including planting test plots of cover crops, watershed planning, water testing, hosting education and outreach activities.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 and 2021, virtual programs were developed to accommodate for canceled or capped-attendance field days. A library of virtual field day content can be found via the links at the top or left-hand side of the page.
2025 Nutrient Stewardship Field Days
Field Days |
Topic |
Date |
Location |
RSVP Deadline |
RSVP Phone |
| Bureau Field Day | Field-Scale Nutrient Monitoring | July 29 | TBD | July 24 | 815.875.6468 |
| Clark CFB Field Day | Cover Crops, Soil Health, NLRS | June | TBD | TBD | 217.382.4144 |
| Clinton CFB Field Day 1 | Russell Hedrick & Biological Management | February 26 | Mt Rose, IL | February 23 | 618.526.7235 |
| Clinton CFB Field Day 2 | Cover Crops, Planting Green, Soil and Forage Sampling | April 26 | Aviston, IL | April 23 | 618.526.7235 |
| Clinton CFB Field Day 3 | Cash Crop after Covers: Economics and Soil Health | July 26 | Aviston, IL | July 23 | 618.526.7235 |
| Cook CFB Field Day | Struvite Research | July 14 | Smits Farm | July 7 | 708.354.3276 |
| Jo Daviess CFB Field Day 1 | Fenceless Grazing and Animal Integration | August 1 | Stockton, IL | July 26 | 815.858.2235 |
| Jo Daviess CFB Field Day 2 | September 12 | Stockton, IL | September 5 | 815.858.2235 | |
| LaSalle CFB Field Day | Nutrient Management, Genetics, and BMPs. | July 30 | La Salle, IL | July 28 | 815.433.0371 |
| Lee CFB Field Day 1 | Niles Township Pollinator Park - Grand Opening | July | Niles Township, IL | TBD | 815.857.3531 |
| Lee CFB Field Day 2 | Northwestern Research Partnership | Sept-Oct | TBD | TBD | 815.857.3531 |
| McHenry CFB Field Day | Bioreactor Research | August | TBD | TBD | 815.338.1520 |
| Montgomery CFB Field Day | March 27 | Harvel, IL | March 24 | 217.532.6171 | |
| Washington CFB Field Day 1 | Cover Crops, Soil Health, Crop Health, Economics | March 27 | Addieville, IL | March 20 | 618.327.3081 |
| Washington CFB Field Day 2 | Cover Crop Rate and Seed Trials | July-Aug | TBD | TBD | 618.327.3081 |
| Will CFB Field Day | Cash Crop Economics and PFAS | March 26 | New Lennox | March 24 | 815.727.4811 |
| Wayne CFB Field Day | Improving Fertilizer Efficiency | July/August | TBD | TBD | 618.842.3342 |
Additional field day details coming soon!
Questions
Sanjay Sofat
Director of Environmental Policy
Email: ssofat@ilfb.org