The current high quality condition of much of the Aux Sable Creek watershed is due, in large part, to quality agricultural practices and good stewardship. The agricultural community within the Aux Sable Creek Watershed is largely grain producers, grain producers with livestock operations, and livestock operations only.
A spectrum of programs and best management practices are available for agricultural lands. These practices can be programmatic, structural, and non-structural. Below are those identified in the 2008 Aux Sable Creek Watershed Plan (Chapter 4) that could support further implementation of best management practices in the watershed. To inquire about these or investigate other opportunities contact the Grundy or Kendall Soil and Water Conservation Districts or the Grundy or Kendall Farm Bureaus.
Programmatic
- Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
- Conservation Reserve Program
- Farmable Wetlands Reserve Program
- Illinois Department of Agriculture Programs – T by 2000
- Illinois Department of Agriculture Livestock Management Facilities Program
- Nutrient Management Planning
- Nitrogen Best Management Practices
- Phosphorous Best Management Practices
Structural
- Grassed waterways
- Field inlets connected to tile systems
- Contour farming
- Terracing
- Terracing with drop inlet structures
- Animal barrier systems along streams
Non-structural
- Conservation tillage (no-till, strip-till, ridge-till and mulch-till)
American Farmland Trust, 1/14/09 e-news article:
10 Farmers Make 24,000 Lbs of Nitrogen Fertilizer Disappear!
Last year, ten Pennsylvania farmers took on our Best Management Program Challenge to grow their crops on their fields using less nitrogen fertilizer than the recommended levels. The results of their year long experiment are good news for the environment and the wallet! In 2008, these farmers reduced a total of 24,658 pounds of nitrogen that otherwise would have been applied to their fields. Not only did these farmers remove thousands of pounds of nitrogen that could have ended up clouding the Chesapeake, they did it at a fraction of the cost of other nitrogen removal strategies—at only $2.74 per pound versus the up to $8-9 per pound it is estimated it could cost tax payers to remove the nutrient through other means. It isn’t just farmers that can make a difference; you can do your part too! Whether you live in the Mid-Atlantic or in the plains of North Dakota, water always makes its way downhill. Find out what you can do: check-out the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s nitrogen calculator and take a challenge of your own!