Illinois NLRS Program and Project Narratives

The Upper Macoupin Creek watershed is a sub-watershed of the Macoupin Creek basin located in Macoupin County, Illinois. The UMCW project area covers 137,694 acres, about half of the Macoupin Creek Basin. AFT leads this initiative with over 15 federal, state, and local government partners, agricultural trade associations, environmental groups, agricultural retailers, and a local university working to reduce phosphorus losses, improve farm productivity, provide education and outreach, and improve water quality in the creek. 

Delete

Edit embedded media in the Files Tab and re-insert as needed.

align image leftalign image centeralign image right

The UMCW partnership includes a 17-member steering committee comprised of eight farmers, two representatives from M&M Service Company, two representatives from CHS Shipman, two representatives from the NRCS office in Macoupin County, one representative from Macoupin County Soil and Water Conservation District, one representative from Illinois Stewardship Alliance, and one representative from AFT.

In 2019, AFT funded and completed a nine-element watershed plan for the UMCW. The plan outlines the seven goals agreed upon by the watershed steering committee and identifies priority areas and practices, as determined using the Spatial Watershed Assessment and Management Model. Surface runoff is responsible for 61% of phosphorus losses in the watershed, 29% of which are from conventional tillage. Nutrient management, cover crops, and strip till are the three focus practices to reduce erosion and, therefore, phosphorus losses. Structural practices are available to supplement the in-field practices. The 10-year implementation plan predicts that, in order to reach goals laid out in the NLRS, an annual reduction of 41,000 lb of phosphorus is necessary for a 25% reduction across the watershed.

Delete

Edit embedded media in the Files Tab and re-insert as needed.

align image leftalign image centeralign image right

In June 2019, a conservation technician began work in the watershed to promote conservation cropping systems and provide one-on-one conservation planning to all landowners in the project area. The technician helps identify practices based on the SWAMM model. 

Twelve farmers in 2019 and 13 farmers in 2020 received funding for improvements in the watershed through contracts with RCPP, including the CSP, EQIP, and MRBI for a total of 25 contracts. Total financial obligations were $295,001.61 in 2019 and $695,154 in 2020 for a total of $990,155.61 over the two-year span. Acres enrolled in 2019 totaled 2,367.1 and 13,508.8 in 2020 for a total of 15,875.9 enrolled acres. Practices supported year span. Acres enrolled in 2019 totaled 2,367.1 and 13,508.8 in 2020 for a total of 15,875.9 enrolled acres. Practices supported through cost-share include cover crops, reduced tillage, no-tillage, and nutrient management. In the winter of 2019, Macoupin County officially became a STAR licensed county. AFT is working to encourage farmers in the UMCW to fill out STAR forms as another way to track progress in the watershed.

For more information, see farmland.org/project/umc.

Table 4.30. Upper Macoupin Creek watershed

Previous years include 2018 for RCPP-EQIP and RCPP-CSP, and 2016-18 for MRBI.