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Marshall-Putnam Soil & Water Conservation District |
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General Information and News |
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To contact us:
Marshall-Putnam SWCD 1511 University Court Henry, IL 61537
Phone: 309-364-3913 x3 Fax: 309-364-3802 Email: MPSWCD4@yahoo.com |
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If so you may qualify for the SAFE program (State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement). This is a brand new program which allows farmers to enroll any number of acres into grass practices. It is similar to the traditional CRP program where you will get yearly payments for 10 to 15 years based on soil rental rates. Below are some of the requirements:
Þ The field can be less than 5 acres in size. Þ You must have a cropping history 4 out of 6 years from 1996 to 2001 (based on the 2002 farm bill) Þ $2 per acre maintenance rate Þ Floodplain soils and HEL ground qualifies Þ All practices include a Signing Incentive Payment and Practice Incentive Payment
Below is a map of the designated SAFE area. |
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SAFE Acres
Do You Own Ground in Whitefield, Saratoga, Steuben or LaPrairie Township? |
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SWCD’s are dependant on the passing of the Gaming Bill |
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There has been much talk lately of the current bill being held in the Illinois senate which would expand gambling in Illinois. It is currently being called Senate Bill (SB) 1849, or the Gaming Bill. The bill would allow for development of new casinos in Illinois and for installation of slot machines at horse racing tracks. These new endeavors would create much needed revenue for the state of Illinois, and it is also expected to create upwards of 25,000 new jobs. On the last vote in the house, the bill failed to pass. It is currently being held there awaiting a rewrite which will suit the governor along with the house and senate members. Ag groups around Illinois, particularly, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, are anxiously awaiting this rewrite and the next vote, which should come in February. If signed into law as it stands now, this bill would provide $12.5 million dollars, appropriated annually, in dedicated funding to the 97 SWCDs in Illinois. This is money the SWCDs desperately need to be able to continue functioning as fully funded, fully staffed entities. Currently Districts are funded at around $3 million, the majority of which is used for health insurance, training and salaries, leaving just under $1 million state-wide for conservation practices. SWCDs have typically been funded through the General Revenue Fund as a pass through grant with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Stable, dedicated funding is something the districts have been in dire need of for the past few years. Many districts are down to half or part time staff because of the recent reductions to operating dollars. Also, the reductions in the amount of cost share dollars coming into the districts means fewer conservation practices are being put on the ground. The Marshall-Putnam SWCD would like to ask for your assistance in contacting legislators to voice your support of passage of gaming bill. Besides providing new funding for SWCDs and creating new jobs, revenue from this expansion will also be used to supplement other agriculture based entities as 4-H, University of Illinois Extension, county fairs, state historical sites and others. If you will, please call or visit your legislators and ask them to vote yes in support of conservation, agriculture, and jobs in Illinois by passing this legislation. A list of talking points concerning the jobs this legislation would created can be obtained at the link below: Gaming Bill Fact Sheet and Job Creation Information
Article and information provided by the Montgomery County SWCD with Permission |
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Bio-Humic Farm Workshop
The Sun Foundation in Washburn, IL is offering a workshop on March 3rd from 9-11am on Bio-Humic Agriculture Systems. Gary McDonald, Farmer and Organic Resource Advisor, will be teaching the workshop. For more information or to sign up for the presentation, please visit the Sun Foundation’s website or click on the picture below
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