The cost of the effort to eventually achieve a 45 percent reduction in nitrates and phosphorus going into the Mississippi would cost $800 million. The immediate goals outlined in the NLRS are to achieve a 25 percent reduction in the phosphorus load and a 15 percent reduction in the nitrate load by 2025.

 

“We all know the state of Illinois does not have that money to help us with this effort,” she said.

 

But the practices council, a group made up of representatives from Illinois commodity and farm groups and agribusinesses, offers opportunities for farmers to undertake nutrient reduction themselves.

 

“There are several options of ways we can do that, different opportunities if you put in cover crops, no-till and split-apply your nitrates, that you can start to reach some of these goals and it’s a lot smaller number, the cost is. There is a way to start showing progress. We’re not going to hit that pie-in-the-sky number of $800 million annually, but we do have to start making that progress and there are ways to do that,” Tirey said.

 

The goal of the council was to encourage those in Illinois agriculture to adopt best practices in nutrient management.

 

Groups such as the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association and Illinois Nutrient Research and Education Council are playing a major role in many of the initiatives being undertaken by the council.

 

“Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association is a huge part of this coalition, this initiative. What they do are N-rate trials, trying to find the right rate and the right time for nitrogen application,” Tirey said.