Transcript Illinois Department of Agriculture - Southern Illinois Soil and Water

Angela Kazakevicius
Bureau of Land and Water Resources
Region 5 Representative
Quick History
• 1818 -Illinois becomes the 21st state
• 1819 - Illinois Agricultural Association
established
• 1853 – Illinois State Agricultural Society
established with 2 year budget of $1000
First state fair on October 11th
• 1871 – New Illinois Constitution creates
the Department of Agriculture
Today’s IDOA
• $109 million budget
• 600 employees throughout the state
• Activities:
– Conserving land and water resource
– Protecting health and welfare of livestock and companion
animals
– Overseeing state and county fairs
– Regulating seed, feed, and fertilizer
– Ensuring the financial stability of grain dealers and elevators
– Promoting Illinois food and agriculture products
– Operating state horse racing program
– Collecting and distributing agricultural statistics
– Controlling Emerald Ash Borer
Soil Erosion on Cropland
• Many early settlers farmed for high
production with little regard for the soil
• George Washington and Thomas
Jefferson, like many of their peers,
needed new farm land because
they wore it out.
• Louisiana Purchase was partly to provide
new cropland.
Changes
• Our country spread from coast to coast
and farmers began protecting their soil.
• It was too little, too late.
Dust Bowl
• The destruction of millions of acres of land
due to soil erosion endangered the nation
• April 27, 1935, Congress established the
Soil Erosion Service.
• It was a permanent agency under the
USDA
Helping one on one
• Charged to work directly with farmers and
ranchers to control soil erosion.
• Today, this is the Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
State erosion effort
• In 1936, USDA developed a pamphlet,
“A Standard State Soil Conservation
Districts law”
• It was sent to each governor in the nation
• University of Illinois, Illinois Department of
Agriculture and interested agricultural
organizations reviewed, modified the
Standard Law
Local leader
• Harold “Hank” Hanna from Dix, Illinois,
helped draft the 1937 Illinois Soil and
Water Conservation District Act.
• Among other accomplishments, he taught
agricultural law here at SIU.
The beginning in Illinois
• The Illinois Soil and Water Conservation
District Act was passed July 9, 1937
• In 1938, the first soil and water
conservation district was formed by
landowner referendum – Shiloh-O’Fallon
now the St. Clair County SWCD.
SWCD Legislated Mission
a) “conservation of soil, soil resource, water
and water resources;
b) control and prevention of soil erosion;
c) prevention of air and air pollution;
d) Prevention of erosion, floodwater and sediment
damages, and thereby to conserve natural
resources,
control floods,
prevent impairment of dams and reservoirs,
assist in maintaining the navigability of river, and
harbors,
conserve wildlife and forests,
protect the tax base,
protect public lands,
and protect and promote the health, safety, and
welfare of the people of the State.”
A SWCD is:
• “public body, corporate and politic,
exercising public power” (no taxing ability)
• Legal subdivisions of State government
• Organized through referendum, chartered
by the Secretary of State
• Governed by a 5 member board, elected
by landowners and occupiers in the
SWCD.
Link with NRCS
• To achieve the mission of the Soil Erosion
Service of working with farmers and ranchers
one on one, a soil and water conservation
district had to be established in the area for the
Service to send staff and provide assistance.
• Today in Illinois, most SWCDs and NRCS
offices are co-located and share staff and
equipment
The link with IDOA
• The Illinois Soil and Water Conservation District
Act created the Soil and Water Conservation
Advisory Board
Members include the Director of IDOA Director
of U of I CES (ex officio)
5 Governor appointees who have farmed during
the last 5 years, know about SWCDs and
spread out throughout the state.
SWCD Advisory Board
Assists the local SWCDs in carrying out their
mission
Keeps SWCDs informed of all SWCD activities
Coordinates programs between SWCDs
Seeks cooperation with federal, state, private
groups to help SWCDs
Considers, reviews, expresses its opinion on any
rules, regs, ordinances or other SWCD actions.
more
Prepares and submits a budget to the
Director
Develops and coordinates statewide erosion
and sediment program
Promotes land management re:Illinois
Forestry Development Act
Makes grants
The link
• The Illinois Soil and Water Conservation
District Act legislates that the Illinois
Department of Agriculture staffs and funds
the Soil and Water Conservation Advisory
Board.
• The board funds the local SWCDs through
grants.
IDOA grants SWCDs to:
• Carry out a comprehensive soil erosion
and sediment control program.
– Operations funding
– Cost share practice funding
– Transect survey
Other SWCD partners
• Any federal, state, local, private group that
contributes to the SWCD’s Declaration of
Policy
– County boards
– Public health departments
– IDNR,IEPA,IDCEO
– Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, etc.
– Schools,
– US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife, etc
SWCDs in other states
• There are SWCDs in all 50 states
• Some are part of county government (WI)
• Some are staffed with state employees
(MO)
• Some are part of the state’s Department
of Natural Resources (MO)
• Some are divided by watersheds instead
of counties (NE)
more differences
• Some state’s SWCD boards have 5, 7, or
9 members, some differ by population
• Some states have the county extension
service representative automatically on
the SWCD board
Trivia
• Why create a new organization in each county
to work on soil erosion control when the
Cooperative Extension Service already existed?
• The Secretary of Agriculture was having trouble
with the head of CES, he wasn’t reporting to him
as requested. So, he wasn’t going to give him
the new responsibility
Not so trivia
• Why doesn’t IDOA just implement
programs statewide?
From the very beginning and even today,
the IDOA believes that the local
landowners and the local leaders can best
define its natural resource concerns and
develop/implement local solutions
Southern Illinois SWCDs
• You can keep track of the activities of the
southern 19 soil and water conservation
districts by visiting their website:
• www.siswcds.webs.com