The Vermilion Headwaters watershed is a 305,426-acre rural water-shed encompassing parts of Livingston, Ford, Iroquois, and McLean counties in Illinois. This watershed has been identified as one of the top five, non-point source nitrogen loading watersheds in Illinois and is a major contributor to nitrogen loading in the Mississippi River.
The Vermilion Headwaters Watershed Partnership is a group of stakeholders, including farmers, community leaders, government agencies, research institutions, and nonprofit organizations working to reduce the loss of nitrogen from farmland in the watershed. The adoption of conservation cropping systems, such as reduced tillage, cover crops, nutrient management, and tile water treatment, can help protect water quality and improve a farmer’s bottom line.
Funding for priority practices, like cover crops, nutrient management, and reduced tillage is available through the Mississippi River Basin Initiative. In fiscal year 2019, nine contracts were awarded a total of $182,376, spanning 1,785 acres. In fiscal year 2020, six contracts were awarded a total of $187,718, spanning 1,627 acres.
For more information, see farmland.org/project/vhw/.
Table 4.31. Vermilion Headwaters watershed
MRBI
| 2015-18
| 2019
| 2020
| Cumulative
|
Contracts | 47 | 9 | 6 | 62 |
Acres | 6,126 | 1,785 | 1,627 | 9,538 |
Obligation | $1,089,192 | $182,376 | $187,718 | $1,459,286 |
AFT developed case studies of two farmers in the Vermilion Headwaters watershed using partial budget analysis to estimate the net economic benefits from soil health practices, like no till, strip till, cover crops, and nutrient management. AFT also used USDA’s Nutrient Tracking Tool and CarbOn Management & Emissions Tool to quantify the water quality and climate benefits of these practices. Farmer profiles and information on the case studies are available at farmland.org/project/quantifying-economic-and-environmental-benefits-of-soil-health/.
