Program farms the best, conserves the rest

FAIRBURY, Ill. — Pheasants Forever provides a program that works hand-in-hand with farmers to combine wildlife habitat with farming profitability.

Dallas Glazik, of Paxton, a fifth-generation farmer and Pheasants Forever’s precision ag and conservation specialist in Illinois, works with farmers to analyze their data to find best input conservation practices and other habitat programs that translates into farm profitability.

“We’ll take that data, find out where they’re losing money on the farm and throw those areas into a program. That way they can now profitably farm that farm, as well as recreate and enjoy that farm,” he said.

Glazik was among the guest speakers at a recent Vermilion Headwaters Watershed Grower’s Day, hosted by American Farmland Trust in partnership with Nutrien Ag Solutions, Precision Conservation Management and the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition.

The initiative with Pheasants Forever works with farmers in Midwest states and beyond.

“It really takes a look at those marginal acres, knocking them out of your production report, and your actual production history, which crop insurance is based on, will increase,” Glazik said.

“So, if you remove the bottom-producing yields, your average yield will go up, and across the Midwest states and here in Illinois we’ve seen an average crop insurance payout about $30 more an acre by doing these conservation practices.

“Your risk level is lower, so you’re less likely to make a claim because you’re not farming the worst.”

He referred to remarks made by Eric Snodgrass, Nutrien’s principal atmospheric scientist, earlier in the program that “rain events are larger.”

“By taking those low spots out of production, you can claim less, but when you have a claim your claim will be higher because your APH is higher than what it was prior,” Glazik said.

There are programs that offer multiple options for habitat to be planted in lower production areas of the farm.

“There are programs out of your local USDA office, as well as other nonprofit or private programs available,” Glazik said.

“If you are looking for programs in your particular county, I highly recommend looking up the Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership and locate their Find tool tab. On that Find site, you can find things of interest. If you are a cattle farmer, if you are a row crop farmer, if you are doing trees and nuts, there are programs for each of those, as well as a split up via county.

“You can get an idea of either government programs, non-government programs, whatever fits your operation best.”

Family Farm

Cow Creek Organic Farm is located near the start of the Middlefork River, southeast of Paxton. The 100% organic livestock and grain operation is owned and operated by Jeff and Rita Glazik along with their children, Will, Clayton, Dallas and Abby.

“We farm in Ford, Champaign and McLean counties. We have 1,000 acres that’s been certified organic since 2002. I’m a second-generation organic farmer,” Glazik said. “I thoroughly enjoy farming and working in conservation.

“A lot of people think that conservationists want to see every single acre in habitat and farmers want to see every single acre in farm. There is actually a nice mesh of 98% of us that like it mixed together.

“We just want to farm the best, conserve the rest, do it properly, pass it on to the next generation, and by integrating the two together it’s the best way to do it.”