CONSERVATION PLANNER SPOTLIGHT- JASON MCKINLEY
Randolph County Conservation Planner Jason McKinley grew up in a close-knit farming community where everyone knew each other. During high school, he gained hands-on experience working on several local farms, taking on a variety of tasks—from milking cows and baling hay to planting and harvesting row crops. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in business. Jason completed an apprenticeship program with Boilermakers Local 363 and worked with the union for 20 years, eventually serving as president. He then served as president of a building and trades council before moving to Kansas City where he worked for Black & Veatch.
Jason also worked at an insurance agency for several years before deciding that he was ready for a change. He learned about the Conservation Planner program from a friend who worked for the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC) and joined the AIM Initiative in March of 2024. Currently a Level 2 Planner, Jason said the practices that he works on most frequently are filter strips, field borders, grassed waterways, and vegetative fire breaks, along with some tree planning that he works on with the local Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) forester. Speaking on the impacts of these practices, Jason said, “Improved soil health in CRP areas, more terrestrial habitat for wildlife… I feel like filter strips are a good practice for catching a lot of sedimentation, pesticides or nutrients that might run off the field before they go into the waterway.”
Jason works frequently with Randolph County NRCS Soil Conservationist Cole Zeller. Describing Jason’s work with CRP, Cole said, “I think he’s really brought back the technical aspects to the program where it has been kind of lacking in the past. You got to the point where a producer would sign up, sign some documents and be sent on their way. And I think he has really done a good job of turning that around… sitting down with them, having that technical conversation and really making sure they know what they are getting into and know the requirements of the program and that we’re all on the same page, and I think it has resulted in better relationships with our customers and better contracts in the end.”
According to Jason, working with producers who are truly interested in conservation is his favorite part of the job. He stated, “Some folks just want to get a little income off the land, but there’s a good share of landowners who really want to get into the conservation aspect. That is their motivation, and they are the most fun to work with. Just basically sitting down and trying to figure out exactly what they want, what they can handle, and helping them get a plan together that meets their needs, and they are going to be happy with.”
Jason is particularly proud of one of his first big CRP project, which included several fields that totaled roughly 70 acres. The landowner had previously leased the land for farming but wanted to get away from the chemicals and focus more on conservation. Jason said, “He took me on a side-by-side ride, and we rode all around the property and looked at stuff, kind of learned the history of the property. I could tell he was proud of the property, and was coming into it motivated by conservation, so that’s always nice.”
On approximately six plots, Jason developed a plan that included fire breaks and conservation cover, including short grass and long grass, and a very diverse seed mix with lots of forbs established to have something blooming each season. He said, “It was a pretty big one, and it worked out really well. He’s super happy with it. It looks really good. I’ve even had other producers tell me how good it looks.” According to Jason, there is a small network of producers in the area who help each other, especially with prescribed burns, and this landowner is part of that group.
When asked what stands out about their district, Cole mentioned they are fully staffed and have no issues getting all their work done by the deadlines. He said, “So that’s always nice, and then we lend a helping hand out to the other districts that are kind of short staffed, so I think that’s pretty unique that we are able to get our work done and then help other people.”
When asked about his future career plans, Jason said, “I plan on staying here as long as possible or until I’m ready to leave, which would be a few more years, and I am just going to use the knowledge to get better at it every year. And I see that I have. Each year that I go through it, it gets a little easier, and I’m just more knowledgeable of the practices and the whole process.”
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