News

A conservation convert

A central Illinois farmer says a decision to change farming practices ten years ago has made him a conservation convert.

Randy Strubhar, who farms in McLean and DeWitt County, says introducing cover crops and no-till practices has transformed his farm.

“We turned the corner on this piece of land.”  He says, “We’re getting some of the best yields, it’s made a believer out of us.  We’re committed to this because we see the results.”

He tells Brownfield, “The quality of this ground was not Class A.”  He says, “We’ve seen tremendous improvements in erosion.  Erosion was a big problem for us.  Also, organic matter is climbing. There’s just a lot, lot of intangibles.”

Strubhar says he’s in the process of converting more acres to climate smart practices because of those benefits, as well as for potential access to the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market.

“The SAF there’s going to be requirements for us to be in a cover crop, no-till system to be a provider to that program.”  He says, “SAF could bring back a degree of profitability to the farm.”

Strubhar says he’d like to see more clarity on the SAF issue from the federal government soon.  He credits the work of local USDA NRCS and Soil & Water officials for helping make his conservation transformation possible.

Brownfield spoke with Strubhar at the recent annual meeting of the DeWitt County Soil & Water Conservation District where his operation was named the “Conservation Farm Family of the Year.”

AUDIO: Randy Strubhar – Illinois farmer