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News & Updates
Explore AIM Illinois news and stories that highlight real conservation work across the state. Browse updates from our planners and partners, see what’s working on the ground, and find ideas you can bring to your own fields and communities.
2026 ILLINOIS LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD WINNER SHARES INNOVATIVE GRAZING TECHNIQUES
Greg Thoren has achieved great success on his farm by combining age-old conservation practices with new technology, such as virtual fencing for his cattle, and he and his wife Janis are now being recognized as the 2026 winner of the Leopold Conservation Award in Illinois. Located in the far southeast corner of Jo Daviess County, Greg farms in the Driftless Area where the topography differs a great deal from central Illinois, and a variety of soil types can be found. Greg’s ex
Siemer-STAR Producer Reward Payment Program to Continue in 2026
Illinois STAR is thrilled to continue a partnership with Siemer Milling Company (SMC) that has formally recognized and financially rewarded farmers for their outstanding conservation achievements. In 2025, the Siemer-STAR Producer Reward Payment Program (PRPP) awarded $75,000 to 10 producers and 61 different fields. Since it began in 2023, the PRPP has grown in popularity so much that 139 fields spanning over 8,500 acres across Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky were submitted f
Soil Health – Former Buffalo Farm Continues to Provide Precious Habitat For O’Fallon Wildlife
April 21, 2025 Although the bison have been gone for quite some time, many of the O’Fallon area residents still fondly refer to the Brown Family’s property as The Buffalo Farm. According to Stephen Brown, the family’s involvement with the farm dates to around 1860, and his grandfather was born on the farm around 1890. During the 1950’s, there was a drought out west that caused buffalo to start starving. Stephen explained that an appeal went out for people to house some, and h
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