Supporters of a new project hope that studying the benefits of tree and shrub systems used to protect farms from extreme weather, otherwise known as windbreaks, will revive the practice among Illinois farmers today.
The Corn Belt Windbreak Project will look at trees planted through the Conservation Reserve Program, with the oldest dating back to the 1980s.
Dallas Glazik, an Illinois farmer and precision agriculture and conservation specialist for the groups Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, is compiling profitability data, particularly for crops along end rows, where farmers typically lose money. He noted farmers are now removing windbreaks to maximize space on their farms.
"It's one that we're seeing a forgotten place about," Glazik explained. "With the use of intensive agriculture on these landscapes, they think, ‘Oh, I can squeeze out another seven rows if I get rid of this tree line.’ And they're losing money by doing so."
Glazik stressed windbreaks serve as important shields, especially during the spring and winter months when the soil is bare. He noted they can reduce soil erosion by 95%, increase key wildlife habitat populations, and protect neighboring farmland.
The nonprofit Savanna Institute received a five-year, $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct the study in Illinois and Iowa.
Nate Lawrence, co-executive director of the institute, said that, along with soil and wildlife benefits, researchers will study how windbreaks affect crop yields and water quality.
"The core that makes me most excited about this project is that opportunity to work with dozens, at minimum, (of) farmers across these different target regions," Lawrence emphasized. "We wanna know from farmers what we don't know. They're the core directors of the research."
Farmers will be working with the University of Illinois to integrate the findings. Lawrence added that the end goal is to develop better strategies and show farmers how windbreaks can benefit them now and in the future.
Illinois News Connection originally published this story.
