Soybean farmers care about your water quality

Farmers care about the environment, just ask local farmers Andy Roselius or Andrew Bowman. Illinois farmers drink the same water and enjoy nature’s beauty just like you, so they work hard to grow high-quality food for your family while decreasing their environmental impact and preserving our water quality.

Here are just a few of the agricultural practices that farmers use to protect our water and the environment:

Reduced tillage

Fifty-eight percent of Illinois farmers use reduced tillage. This means they leave the stalks and plant matter from last year’s harvest on the ground instead of plowing fields after harvest or before planting. This coverage provides a “blanket” for the field that prevents soil erosion and protects water quality by keep the water in the field.

Buffers

Buffers are strips of grass or other vegetation meant to trap valuable nutrients and sediment that otherwise can be carried off the field by heavy rain. They help these nutrients and sediment stay in the field and out of our water supply. Just like using a net in the pool, it helps collect the leaves you don’t want while leaving behind the fresh water.

Precision technology

Technology allows farmers to target exact areas in the field that need more nutrients or pesticides rather than applying chemicals on the whole field unnecessarily. In fact, today only a few ounces of pesticides are needed per acre (a piece of land about the size of a football field). Less chemicals on crops = better water quality