By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

EAST PEORIA, Ill. — “Tillage, Technology & Environmental Stewardship” is the theme for the 2009 Illinois Regional Tillage Seminars, with workshops scheduled for Bloomington’s Interstate Center Jan. 27, The Galleria in Princeton Jan. 28 and Kishwaukee College in Malta Jan. 29.

This year’s Tillage Seminars feature an outstanding lineup of state and national speakers, including Clay Mitchell, an innovative Iowa farmer and National No-Till Conference speaker; Dr. Jerry Hatfield, director of the National Soil Tilth Laboratory in Ames, Iowa; and Barry Fischer, state agronomist for the Indiana Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

“This year the Illinois Tillage Seminars are going to focus on technology and environmental stewardship associated with adopting a no-till and strip-till farming system,” Bob Frazee, University of Illinois extension natural resources educator, told Farm World. “To that end, we’ve brought in three of the nation’s foremost experts on no-till/strip-till to speak to our producers.”

Mitchell, who farms on a 2,500-acre centennial farm in northeastern Iowa, will speak on how to manage no-till/strip-till for weed shifts and resistance, as well as the use of controlled-traffic, aligned farming systems with no-till/strip-till and its effects on the soil, Frazee said.

“A second speaker, Dr. Jerry Hatfield, will discuss the role of tillage on carbon sequestration,” he added. “Conservation tillage stores, or sequesters, carbon in the soil as organic matter. It’s one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

“It also saves labor and fuel costs, it reduces soil erosion and it preserves nutrients. It’s a win-win situation.”

Fischer will speak on no-till planter setup and equipment modifications, along with no-till management. “Barry has a passion for no-till that is contagious,” Frazee commented. “His enthusiasm sells no-till and conservation on the farm.”

Other speakers will include Jim Angel, Illinois state climatologist (Impact of Climate on Crops), Brett Roberts, NRCS state agronomist (What’s in the 2008 Farm Bill for You?), Elliot Lagacy, Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) regional representative (State Cost-Share & Technical Assistance Programs), and Frazee, who will review the 2008 season.

The programs will each run from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and are cosponsored by the multi-county conservation agencies of the UoI extension, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, the Assoc. of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts, NRCS and IDOA. Seed, chemical, machinery dealers and other agribusinesses will be featured exhibitors.

Pre-registration is necessary and must be completed by Jan. 20. The fee is $20. Checks are payable to University of Illinois Extension and can be mailed to the McLean County Extension, 402 N. Hershey Rd., Bloomington, IL 61704. Make sure to indicate which of the three seminars you wish to attend.

Online credit card registrations can be made at www.mcleanextension.org

For more information, contact Frazee at 309-694-7501, ext. 226, or Brian Lambert, McLean County extension ag program coordinator, at 309-663-8306.