McCormick Farms a leader in soil conservation
<p dir="ltr"><span>ELLIS GROVE -- When it comes to preserving the environment, McCormick Farms in Ellis Grove is one of the area's leaders in soil conservation.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>McCormick Farms grows corn, soybeans, wheat and barley and is currently worked by three generations of McCormicks - Paul, his son Jack, and his grandson, Jared.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The McCormicks use soil conservation and no-till planting to help minimize nutrient and fertilizer runoff into waterways.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"With no-till planting, there's no disturbing the soil before planting," Jack McCormick said.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>No-till planting also helps increase organic material in the soil and preserves earthworm populations.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Those trenches that earthworms make allow water to penetrate the soil," Jack said. "We're hoping water finds those channels and and we hope roots find those channels."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>McCormick Farms also plants cover crops - which are not harvested - as a way to preserve essential nutrients for the following year's crop.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Rather than leave that ground bare all year, the cover crop will pull those nutrients up to maintain that crop," Jack said. "When we kill the cover crop, it will release those nutrients into the soil for the next crop."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>But the McCormicks' journey into no-till planting and cover crops wasn't without its early setbacks.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"1969 was when I first tried it," Paul McCormick said. "We planted in an old hay field and we thought the alfalfa was gone.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"We tried it on five acres and got a wonderful spot of corn."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"In 30 days, that old alfalfa woke up and smothered that corn," he continued. "I hate to say this, but it was a complete disaster."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Paul noted that while it has been nearly 50 years since then, "We're still learning."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>As part of its soil conservation, McCormick Farms uses a system of underground pipes connected to terraces - which reduce both the amount and velocity of rainwater moving down a slope across a soil surface.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>Rather than pooling on the surface, the excess runoff is captured and slowly discharged through a subsurface drain to a receiving stream or pond.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The benefit of this system is that it greatly reduces soil erosion.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"Soil is going to move, there's no way to get around it," Jack said. "But you can see how we kept some of the dirt, otherwise it's just gone."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>It's no secret that 21st century technological advancements have greatly benefitted the farming industry, and McCormick Farms is no exception.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>GPS tracking, which Jack said is now installed on several pieces of the farm's equipment, maps planting rows and gives the tractor operator live data updates on crop yield, prevents over-planting and is used to determine future soil fertility.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>"As I'm harvesting, I'm getting yield data on the go every few seconds," Jack said. "That's printed to a GPS map and used for next year's soil fertility."</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>The McCormicks' story is one of those featured on a new online resource called the "Conservation Story Map," which includes testimonials from farmers throughout the state and highlights their strategies to protect and conserve the soil and water.</span>
<p dir="ltr"><span>See the McCormicks' story and others at www.illinoiscbmp.org.</span>