News Releases - 1997

Knox County Couple Win Environmental Farm Stewardship Award

Springfield, Ill. -- John and Becky Nichols, who breed cattle on a farm near Oneida, in Knox County, Ill., are the 1997 recipients of the Environmental Farm Stewartship Award presented by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The award will be presented during ceremonies on Agriculture Day at the Illinois State Fair, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1997.

The Nichols run an 85 head cow-calf herd on 110 acres of grassland. In 1997, they also raised 350 acres of corn, 350 acres of soybeans, 10 acres of oats and 40 acres of alfalfa and grass hay.

Their award recognizes across-the-board farming practices that consistently include environmental awareness in daily operations and decision-making. Approximately 85 percent of their row crop acreage is left in no-till, and grass crops and hay are raised on steeply rolling hills that are not suitable for row crop production.

Announcing the 1997 winners, Illinois EPA Director Mary A. Gade said "This year's winners combine difficult, day-to-day work with careful long-term planning, so that the acres they farm today will be fertile resources tomorrow. People like John and Becky Nichols are proof that successful farming and successful resource conservation can go hand-in-hand."

Soil is regularly tested to keep fertilizer use to a minimum, and specialists from the local co-op have a lead role in determining pesticide needs and applications.

The couple take part in the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), allowing row crop acreage to rest and grasses to become fully established before resuming the area to pasture. Presently, they have 70 acres of warm season grassland in CRP.

Cattle are separated into multiple lots to minimize runoff by reducing the concentration of waste; when hauling manure, it is spread on flatter ground with stalk cover.

Fuel storage and handling is done at a safe distance and downhill from the well head, pesticides are handled in a containment facility at the local farm co-op, and mixing and handling of fertilizers is done in the field. Abandoned wells are sealed according to state guidelines.

The couple are members of the Knox County Farm Bureau, and the Illinois and Knox County Cattlemen's Associations. John Nichols is a board member of Gateway Co-op in Galva, Ill., and is a director of the Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District Board. Mrs. Nichols serves on the board of the Western Illinois University bull test station.

In 1996, 4,000 visitors attended the Illinois Land Improvement Contractors Conservation Expo the couple hosted, demonstrating such conservation practices as wetlands, terraces and waterways. Becky Nichols developed and organized a new show section focusing on food plots for wildlife, woodland management, native grass plantings, wildflowers and butterfly gardens.

This year, they are working with the Soil and Water Conservation District to host a mini conservation show highlighting the practices initiated at the 1996 Conservation Expo.