Supporters of a new project hope that studying the benefits of tree and shrub systems used to protect farms from extreme weather, otherwise known as windbreaks, will revive the practice among Illinois farmers today.
The Corn Belt Windbreak Project will look at trees planted through the Conservation Reserve Program, with the oldest dating back to the 1980s.
Dallas Glazik, an Illinois farmer and precision agriculture and conservation specialist for the groups Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, is compiling profitability data, particularly for crops along end rows, where farmers typically lose money. He noted farmers are now removing windbreaks to maximize space on their farms…