Conservation Assistance

 A voluntary, farmer-friendly program that helps cover the cost of installing conservation practices on working farmland. Eligible producers can receive up to 75% cost-share to implement projects that reduce erosion, improve water management, and protect soil health. Aims to make conservation practical and affordable for your operation.

 A voluntary program that pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of crop production and establish long-term conservation cover. In exchange, landowners receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and provide wildlife habitat.

Provides cost-share funding and technical assistance to help landowners stabilize eroding streambanks and restore damaged waterways. Eligible projects may receive up to 75% of the total project cost, reducing erosion, protecting productive farmland, and improving water quality.

Offers reduced property tax assessments for Illinois landowners who establish qualifying vegetative filter strips along fields and waterways. Under the Vegetative Filter Strip Assessment Law (Public Act 89-606), eligible cropland is assessed at one-sixth (1/6) of its cropland productivity index equalized assessed value, resulting in long-term property tax savings. 

The purpose of the Illinois Water Well Abandonment Practice is to provide technical and financial assistance to owners of improperly abandoned wells who wish to seal those wells to protect groundwater from potential contamination. We can offer a maximum payment of $850 for this practice.

USDA offers other options for cost-share programs that may fit your operation's needs better than our programs.