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July 17, 2024 – Rock Island County Farm Awarded 5-STAR Rating for Conservation
Thanks to the efforts of the Rock Island County Board and farmer Mike Breiby, the County Farm was awarded a 5 STAR by the Rock Island Soil and Water Conservation District.
“We are very pleased with the forethought and efforts of the County Board in implementing conservation practices that will maintain and preserve the rich soil on this farm for generations.” – Stated Rich Stewart with the Rock Island County SWCD.
The farm, in Rural Township, earned the high rating based on implementing several conservation practices including grassed waterways, water and sediment control basin, grass filter strips, pollinator habitat for Monarch butterflies, and upland wildlife habitat buffers for Bobwhite Quail. Other factors that go into the rating are crop rotations, use of cover crops, no-till or low disturbance farming, and applying fertilizers based on GPS soil testing and crop needs. Thanks to these practices, soil erosion is reduced to at or below the tolerable soil loss limit as determined by the USDA-NRCS office. Water quality is improved because of the fertilizer application rates based on crop needs. Wildlife habitat is benefited by the short grass-forb mix prairie that serves as a buffer between cropland and the woodland on the farm property. Monarch butterflies and other pollinator species benefit from the prairie grass and forb planting that included milkweed and other nectar plants. Farmer Mike Breiby said he uses cover crops because they are great for weed control and preventing erosion.
“We appreciate being a part of these efforts and encourage all farmers in Rock Island County and beyond to explore opportunities to join in utilizing these conservation practices.” – Said County Board Chairman Richard “Quijas” Brunk
A sign signifying the 5 STAR rating was placed to the County farm. S.T.A.R. is an acronym that stands for Saving Tomorrows Agriculture Resources. S.T.A.R is a free state-wide tool to assist farmers and landowners is evaluating their nutrient and soil loss management practices on individual fields. The purpose is to help farmers meet the goals of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. The S.T.A.R. evaluation program assigns points for each cropping, tillage, nutrient application, and soil conservation activity on individual fields. The star rating system for a field can be anywhere from one to five stars. The Rock Island County Soil and Water Conservation District is happy to present the 5 S.T.A.R rating to farmer Mike Breiby and the Rock Island County Board.
For questions or additional information, you may contact: Outreach Coordinator Rich Stewart, Rock Island County Soil & Water Conservation District, at
rstewart@rockislandswcd.org or County Board Chairman Richard “Quijas” Brunk via the County Administration Office at 309-558-3605 or brunk@rockislandcountyil.gov