Natural Resources and Environment

OBJECTIVE: Foster environmental stewardship and the sustainable use of natural resources in Illinois.

Subobjectives

A. Evaluate the environmental, social, and/or economic consequences of land use and management practices on watersheds

• Investigate landscape and wetland structures and the processes of water, sediment, and pollutant movement through the air, soil, and surface water/groundwater to better understand how land use influences water quality
• Develop social- and science-based watershed assessment and planning tools
• Identify, validate, and refine best management practices (BMPs)
• Develop scientific tools to address water quality, quantity, and drainage issues specific to urban and rural land uses

B. Develop integrated production systems that protect and enhance air, soil, water quality and ecosystem services

• Develop methods to integrate new technologies for soil and water quantity and quality protection and improvement
• Define economic incentives to support ecological sustainability and ecosystem services
• Develop a sediment transport model that includes stream bank and upland soil erosion
• Develop geographically adapted crops, crop rotations, intercropping techniques and organic systems

C. Develop methods to enhance pest management and increase nutrient use efficiency

• Develop and adapt production and management systems to address changing regulatory requirements
• Evaluate/study how pesticides, pesticide metabolites, and nutrients affect wildlife and human health
• Develop alternative pest control methods to minimize environmental impact
• Research pesticide drift prevention methods
• Examine impact of biotechnology on natural resources and environment
• Develop environmentally sound recommendations for nitrogen and phosphorus as related to soil types

D. Develop feasible methods for improving utilization of by-products from animal and plant production and processing systems

• Evaluate measures that prevent animal waste from adding to nutrient load
• Develop methods for handling on-farm livestock mortality and slaughter plant waste disposal
• Research feasibility of composting for urban landscape and agricultural waste
• Evaluate environmental impact of the removal of crop residues for use of ethanol feed stocks

E. Develop and evaluate perennial plants and forests for long-term sustainable agriculture and environmental quality

• Develop improved grasses and legumes for biomass and riparian buffers
• Develop forest management systems for a healthy, sustainable forests
• Examine impact of grazing livestock and equine on grasslands, wildlife habitat and water quality
• Explore environmental impacts from/on vineyards, orchards and other specialty crops (i.e., pesticide drift, runoff)

F. Evaluate and develop agricultural based renewable energy and/or carbon energy production systems

• Examine carbon sequestration
  • Gather data to determine the accumulation values of carbon for credit from grasslands, forests and croplands
  • Study the economics of carbon sequestration
  • Educate farmers/landowners about this issue
  • Investigate methods for more effective sequestration in croplands, grasses and forests
    

Expanding Agricultural Markets | Rural Economic Development | Agricultural Production Systems | Human Nutrition and Food Safety | Natural Resources and Environment