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1) See the Survey of Cover Crop, Conservation Tillage and Nutrient Management Practice Usage in Illinois and 2020 Fall Covers for Spring Savings Crop Insurance Discount Program Participation  for insights into how and when farmers have incorporated these sustainable agriculture practices into their farms across Illinois. 

The survey shows that corn and soy farmers in Illinois are increasingly planting cover crops in between crop cycles and there is a higher number of farmers wanting to begin this practice as a strategy to restore and protect the health of their soils. The Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy shows that cover cropping can be one of the most effective in-field strategies for reducing both nitrate-nitrogen and total phosphorus lost from corn-soybean fields. 

Congratulations to Catalina Herrera-Almanza for winning a seed grant from ACES International Programs! Catalina will use the grant to support research into “Obesity, Maternal and Infant Health in Mexico". 

The funding of the International Seed Grants program is made possible through support provided by the Arlys Conrad Endowment Fund, and the applications are reviewed by the College of ACES International Programs and Policy Committee. OIP issues requests for seed grant proposals once a semester.

Find the most recent peer-reviewed published research focused on the economics of sustainable communities:

For three CEOS mini-grant winners, $2,000 is helping them buy data and equipment, conduct surveys, and travel to research sites (once COVID-19 restrictions are relaxed).  

Graduate student mini-grant winners Frederick Nyanzu, Seojeong Oh, and Brian Waters are all in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics working on applied economics research. 

Frederick is exploring the effect of sustainable agricultural practices and financial inclusion on food security from the Ghanaian context with his advisor, Kathy Baylis. 

Seojeong is seeking to understand the general public's preferences for agricultural nutrient-loss reduction strategies that impact their taxes and water sources. Seojeong works with research advisor Benjamin Gramig. 

Brian is using the grant towards providing a research-based, community-supported, economically sustainable roadmap to improving water sources in Malawi. Brian works with research advisor Paul McNamara.

Listen to our most recent podcast with Brenna Ellison* and Melissa Pflugh Prescott** as they discuss highlights from their recently published paper, “Examining Nutrition and Food Waste Trade-offs Using an Obesity Prevention Context” available in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

The authors address frequently asked questions, including: