The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency that assists landowners with technical and/or financial assistance to address resource concerns on their land. 

If you have a problem with soil erosion, or other natural resource concerns, you can call your local office to speak with a soil conservationist who will visit your property and provide you with a choice of conservation plans for fixing those resource concerns. You can then choose from amongst those plans to act on.

One farmer who took advantage of financial and technical assistance from NRCS is Steve Peters Jr., who is a 4^th generation farmer. Steve’s family had been farming this Tazewell County, Illinois farm since 1953. At first, they rented while purchasing land throughout the years and now own their farm. NRCS assists owners and operators, both beginning farmers and generational farmers.

With his family farming the land since the 1950s, Steve wanted to be a good steward to his land and make the most of what they had. He had resource concerns that he knew needed addressed, in the form of erosion scars that could even be seen from aerial photographs taken all the way back in 1937.

At first, Steve tried to fix these problems on his own. He tried no-tilling, strip-tilling and cover crops. Sometimes there was success, and sometimes not, but he was determined. He tried dry dams on his own, but they weren’t large enough. 

Steve decided he needed some help with this major project and reached out to Dan Sahm, a soil conservationist in Steve’s County. NRCS has offices in almost every county in Illinois, with technical staff available to help with resource concerns such as soil erosion and runoff problems.

After several meetings in his farm shop, Dan and Steve came up with a conservation plan that worked for Steve. Steve also volunteered for the additional conservation practices of nutrient management and development of pollinator habitat. 

When asked about this project, Soil Conservationist Dan Sahm said, “This is a special project because we were able to correct erosion issues on a farm that has been in Steve’s family for generations. Looking back at old aerial imagery shows the deep scars, and now Steve has beautiful terraces covering the field. I have received very positive feedback from Steve throughout the process, and he has been a great producer to work with.”

Nearly 1 mile of grassed terraces and tile outlets were installed across his sloping field.  Followed by multiple years of cover crops, soil testing, and nutrient management.

When Steve looks out across his field now, he sees beautiful grass terraces and soil staying in the field where it belongs. The use of cover crops and nutrient management has increased soil fertility and water infiltration. He also enjoys the pollinator patch established in 2022. Restoring conservation to this land has been a dream come true for Steve and his family.

If you have resource concerns on your land, contact your local NRCS soil conservationist at your county USDA Field Office. For more information, or to find your local service center, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov.