Land Conservation Specialists

NGRREC’s Land Conservation Specialists are our boots-on-the-ground staff, stationed at select U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) service centers across Illinois, working directly with agricultural producers interested and enrolled in federal Farm Bill conservation programs. They assist farmers in the planning process and work with them to determine their conservation needs and goals as it relates to the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The land conservation specialists provide administrative and programmatic support to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) who directly administer CRP and other Farm Bill programs. Additionally, our specialists are assisting NRCS with annual Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) monitoring, to ensure easements are meeting program standards and environmental objectives.

One of the most important roles of this program is the one-on-one outreach conducted by our specialists.  Face-to-face interactions with producers allow for conservation discussions to occur, and we also gain a better understanding of the conservation challenges faced by agricultural producers. 

Most land in the United States is held privately, which is the case for Illinois, therefore to have any sizable conservation impact we must engage and work with private landowners. By assisting producers and private landowners with Farm Bill programs, which maintain and improve terrestrial uplands, we are helping to create healthier watersheds and river habitats.