PLANNING NOT PLOWING
            With the recent dry weather the drive to complete the soybean and corn harvest is nearing completion in our part of the world.         Producers will be getting ready for the next planting season. This used to mean fall plowing. But now, for the conservation farmer, it means planning – working out a conservation plan or improving and implementing a plan already in place. “After harvest is the best time for getting technical assistance for conservation plans,” according to Jim Ritterbusch, District Conservationist in Stephenson County, “because the staff and the producer both have the time through the late fall and winter months.”
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) supports the use of conservation buffers. While the shape and size of buffers may vary, most are relatively narrow strips of land planted to permanent vegetation, either grass, shrubs, and/or trees. Jeremy Jackman, NRCS Soil Conservationist states that conservation buffers eligible for CRP include contour grass strips planted among contour crop rows; grass waterways to carry runoff from cropped fields; forested strips along streambanks;  habitat buffer for upland birds planted around the perimeter of a whole field; forested windbreaks and shelterbelts; and shallow water areas for wildlife and wetland restoration.
            How do buffers help? Buffers are living filters. They slow runoff water, trap sediment, and help water infiltrate the soil. They also trap fertilizers, pesticides, pathogens, and other potential pollutants. Some buffers trap snow and reduce wind erosion. Buffers also provide wildlife habitat, stabilize stream banks, lower water temperatures in streams, and reduce noise and odor problems. Wetlands are often considered buffers because of their filtering capacity.
            To improve the day-to-day operation of a farm or ranch, buffers can be used to square off field boundaries and provide turning lanes for machinery, provide the setback from water sources required for the use of some agricultural chemicals, and improve the appearance of a farm – signifying that the operator is a “good neighbor.”
            Buffer practices are considered for payments under the continuous sign-up for CRP. Cropland is eligible if it was planted to an agricultural commodity in two of the last five crop years. In addition, marginal pastureland is eligible if a riparian (along a stream) buffer will be installed that includes trees or other woody vegetation.
“A producer can walk into his or her local USDA service center any day that service center is open and offer land for enrollment as a conservation buffer,” says Ritterbusch. “That offer will automatically be accepted if eligibility requirements are met.” NRCS/SWCD staff is waiting to explain how buffers can benefit your operation.
Our tax dollars support the Conservation Reserve Program and the technical assistance for planning efficient, effective conservation practices. This benefits all of us by preventing soil erosion, protecting air and water quality, and improving habitat for fish and wildlife.   
Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water
Conservation District, an equal opportunity provider and employer, 11/19/08/ (for publication on 11/29/08 in the Journal-Standard, Freeport, Illinois).
Della can be reached at info@stephensonswcd.org