Edge of Field Practices Partnerships

Edge of Field Practices

IFB is committed to supporting collaborative solutions that make big changes in nutrient loss reduction and best management practice (BMP) development. To help meet our goals, IFB is involved with two edge-of-field practice partnerships. These partnerships are examples of some of the relationships we have developed with diverse stakeholders in order to meet the priority of supporting research initiatives, as outlined in the NLRS.

In 2019, IFB added a Saturated Buffer Partnership to its body of work. The Saturated Buffer Partnership is a five-year collaboration between IFB, Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Association, Inc. (ILICA), Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Illinois NRCS. The purpose of this partnership is to install a saturated buffer each year for five years and to support water quality research of the practice at each site for a number of years. The first saturated buffer was installed in the spring of 2019 in Moultrie county. Plans are in development for the second installation after COVID-related delays in 2020.

The Woodchip Bioreactor Partnership is a five-year collaboration between IFB, ILICA, the University of Illinois, and Illinois NRCS. The purpose of this partnership is to install one woodchip bioreactor every year for five years and to support water quality research of the practice at each site for a number of years. In previous years, the partnership has installed other woodchip bioreactors in Bureau and Henry counties. In 2021, the partners gathered to install a woodchip bioreactor in McDonough County

McDonough County Woodchip Bioreactor Installation 2021

2021 Woodchip Bioreactor Partnership Update from Illinois Agricultural Assoc. on Vimeo.

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