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Applications open for Illinois Livestock Leadership Institute. NRCS announces application cutoffs for EQIP. Beck’s raises money for orphans.

March 27, 2019

6 Min Read
group of young people in teal shirts
TRAVELING LEADERS: This group photo is from the 2018 Illinois Pork Leadership Institute — now named the Illinois Livestock Leadership Institute — trip to Nashville, Tenn. This year’s destination is Milwaukee, Wis.

Livestock leadership opportunity for youth

Two livestock associations in Illinois are partnering to cultivate youth who may be interested in the respective industries. Together, the Illinois Pork Producers Association and Illinois Beef Association are planning an educational event for June.

Formerly known as the Illinois Pork Leadership Institute, the Illinois Livestock Leadership Institute is open to students ages 16 to 22 who are interested in agriculture. A total of 25 applicants will be accepted for the four-day trip, set for June 19-22 to Milwaukee, Wis. The location changes each year.

Topics covered during ILLI range from livestock production, promotion and retail to agriculture communications and leadership. Tours confirmed for the trip include, but are not limited to: ABS Global, Morgan Myers, Johnsonville Sausage Plant, Larson Farms cattle feedlot and a swine vet lab with Dr. Wesley Lyons.

“This is a great educational, social and cultural trip. We got to see and experience so much in a short time,” says Meg Meeker, a 2018 IPLI attendee. “I highly encourage anyone with even a small interest in livestock to take time and attend this trip.”

Any students who have a passion for agriculture and interest in the livestock industry are invited to apply. The application is a short form and essay prompt. It can be found at ilpork.com. The application is due to the IPPA office by May 15. Accepted students will be notified within a week of the deadline.

Illinois NRCS announces cutoff dates for special initiatives

The Natural Resources Conservation Service of Illinois will offer funding for the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and the National Water Quality Initiative. Producers who have agricultural, pasture or forest land in an established initiative project area can apply for assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.

Using this program, they can implement a range of conservation practices that will improve water quality, decrease soil erosion and improve wildlife habitat, says State Conservationist Ivan Dozier.

To compete for funds in the initiative project areas, producers must submit an application by one of two cutoff dates, April 19 and May 17.  NRCS encourages producers to apply for EQIP financial assistance at any time throughout the year, as it accepts applications on a continuous basis.

Contact your local NRCS field office to obtain more details about a specific initiative and to see if your land or farm is located in one of the project areas.

The following is a list of initiative projects and the counties or watersheds where 2019 funding is available.

Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative:

  • Clinton Lake includes portions of DeWitt, McLean and Piatt counties.

  • Crow Creek West/Clear Creek includes portions of Bureau, LaSalle, Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties.

  • Upper Macoupin Creek includes portions of Macoupin County.

  • Vermilion Headwaters includes portions of Ford, Iroquois, Livingston and McLean counties.

National Water Quality Initiative:

  • Douglas Creek Watershed includes portions of St. Clair County.

  • Crooked Creek-Bon Pas Watershed includes portions of Richland, Wabash, Edwards and Lawrence counties.

  • Lake Vermilion Watershed includes portions of Vermilion County.

  • Lake De Revey Watershed includes portions of Vermilion County.

  • Painter Creek Watershed includes portions of Vermilion County.

  • Lake Bloomington, Money Creek Watershed includes portions of McLean County.

  • Blue Mound, Money Creek Watershed includes portions of McLean County.

NRCS announces EQIP application deadlines

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has established two application deadlines for April 19 and May 17 for EQIP. While farmers can apply to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program on a rolling basis, multiple projects have application deadlines approaching for Regional Conservation Partnership Program funding. NRCS encourages producers to submit applications by one of the deadlines if they are interested in any of the programs.

For a Mississippi River Basin-wide RCPP focused on waterfowl, EQIP funding will be used to support migratory water fowl with drainage control structures, cover crops and other practices. RCPP funding is available to producers whose land is in the following Illinois counties: Christian, Macon, Shelby, Piatt, Moultrie, Champaign, Douglas, Coles, Cumberland, Vermilion, Edgar and Clark.

To apply, eligible producers should contact their local NRCS field office or visit the Illinois NRCS website.

NRCS RCPP funding is available to Macoupin County, Ill., producers whose land is in the Upper Macoupin Creek Watershed. The application cutoff dates are April 19 and May 17. However, NRCS encourages producers to submit applications at any time to the NRCS Carlinville Field Office because they are accepted throughout the year.

Funding through EQIP is available to implement practices such as drainage water management, denitrifying bioreactors, saturated buffers, cover crop, nutrient management and no-till.

To apply, eligible producers should call the NRCS Carlinville Field Office at 217-854-2626, ext. 3.

NRCS RCPP funding will be available to producers with land in Marshall and Putnam counties in Illinois for the Big Bend Enhancing Water-Soil-Habitat Quality Project. The application cutoff dates are April 19 and May 17, with applications also accepted year-round at the NRCS Field Office in Henry.

Funding through EQIP is available to implement practices such as denitrifying bioreactors, grassed waterways, and water and sediment control basins.

To apply, eligible producers should call the NRCS Henry Field Office at 309-364-3913, ext. 3.

NRCS RCPP funding is available to Macon County, Ill., producers whose land is in the Upper Sangamon River Watershed. The application cutoff dates are April 19 and May 17, though producers are invited to submit applications at the NRCS Decatur Field Office year-round.

EQIP funding can be used to implement practices such as drainage water management, denitrifying bioreactors, saturated buffers, cover crops, nutrient management and no-till.

To apply, eligible producers should call the NRCS Decatur Field Office at 217-877-5670, ext. 3.

We Care for Orphans by Beck’s raises nearly $32,000

The We Care for Orphans Adoption Fund raised $31,970 through its 2018-19 sweepstakes. The winners of the sweepstakes, Paul Foran of Bement, Ill., and Cody Boothe of Crown City, Ohio, received a Polaris RZR XP Turbo and Polaris General 4 1000 EPS Ride Command Edition, respectively.

We Care for Orphans was founded in 2011 by Scott and Shantel Beck after they adopted their daughter, Jadyn. The organization is dedicated to assisting families with the resources needed to fund adoption. This was We Care’s fourth sweepstakes and fifth fundraising effort.

“My wife and I are retired school teachers, and I also worked as a guidance counselor,” says winner Cody Boothe. “We’ve worked with kids most of our lives, and we did our best to help kids any way we could, so I feel great that the money raised in the sweepstakes is going to help kids find loving families.”

The winners were drawn on March 5 and announced during the State of the Company Address at Beck’s on March 20, where the winners were handed the keys to their new ATVs.

“When I donated money a few times for the raffle, I never thought I was going to win anything,” says Paul Foran, Beck’s dealer and winner. “It’s money going somewhere for a good cause, and that is what it is all about. That’s what Beck’s is all about, too — trying to help people, whether it’s farmers or families.”

Since 2011, We Care for Orphans has mobilized more than $1.6 million to assist adopting families. With the help of those funds, 370 children from 36 different countries, including the U.S., have been adopted.

“There are hundreds of families that desire to adopt children, but are unable to because of the financial resources required,” says Shantel Beck. “After Scott and I went through the process of adoption, we felt a calling to help others adopt. We sincerely thank the folks who helped make this happen, including the Beck’s family of employees, dealers and customers.”

Polaris, Indy Power Sports, Load Trail and the Beck Foundation all contributed to the Polaris RZR and General vehicles.

To learn more about We Care for Orphans and to donate, visit wecarefororphansfund.org.

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