After watching a documentary on the destruction of the rain forest, one Illinois farm family decided to "think globally and act locally." "Our answer was that we personally could not prevent this loss of the rain forests, but that we were able to protect the environment, the soil, and the water on the farm that we owned in Brown County," said Dr. Eric Giebelhausen of Jacksonville, Ill. With his wife, Beth, and their then 9-year-old son, Dr. Giebelhausen started protecting the environment by planting 1,000 tree seedlings on their Brown County farm.

In the years since then, the family has expanded the size of their farm to over 600 acres and enrolled over 85 of those acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Today the family's farm comprises tillable land, pasture, and forest in roughly equal amounts.

Dr. Giebelhausen said they have been able to manage the soil erosion on the tillable ground in large part by using no till practices along with dry dams. "On some of the more highly erodible areas," he said, "the judicious use of planting in the CRP has been extremely valuable in preventing soil loss and maintaining the clarity in some of the small streams."

The Giebelhausens now have four CRP contracts ranging in size from 6.2 acres of Filter Strips to 48.7 acres of introduced and native grasses/legumes.

"The CRP has provided additional habitat for the species of wildlife native to our area." Dr. Giebelhausen said. "Nesting and bedding sites have been provided for the wild turkey and the white tail deer. The cool season grasses and clover provide a food source for the rabbits and deer through-out the year, but particularly in the early spring when other sources of food are scarce. The fringe benefit of habitat for wildlife in the CRP may in part compensate for some of the habitat destruction that our society propagates daily with new subdivisions, road construction, and relentless expansion of our urban and suburban areas."

Cool season grass with some Little Blue Stem sewn around field border to reduce erosion.

Cool season grass sewn around field border to reduce soil erosion.

CP 4D planted in places around field border for wildlife and to reduce erosion

Warm season grass around field border to reduce erosion. Grass will be greening up shortly.

Warm season grass sewn around field border to reduce soil erosion.

Cool season grass with some volunteer Little Blue Stem sewn around field border to reduce erosion.

Cool season grass with some volunteer Little Blue Stem sewn around field border to reduce erosion.