Cooperation is key for successful conservation practices in agriculture, and the key to that cooperation is good communication among all the players. That was the message attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard.

“If you want to go back to a simple recipe for success, cooperation among many industries, many individuals and many different organizations,” said Marion Schier (pictured on the left with Dan Froelich, Brandt Consolidated, showing off their tour t-shirts), an agronomist with United Soils, Inc. and a former University of Illinois crop extension specialist with more than 30 years in the business, most of it in Livingston County, Ill. He went on to say there have been decades of cooperation in that area. “If you don’t have good communication, good rapport, you need to start with getting those things developed before you are expecting things to change. The big key here is cooperation and trying to work on communication.”

This is the third year for the CTIC study and program, with new items added each year. Marion also said you have to take into account how the differing factors from year-to-year, such as last year’s drought, affect the outcomes and don’t try to apply one year’s worth of data to every situation.

“I try to encourage people to take all the information that we gather from all of the various studies and projects and weigh that with the growing conditions and make determinations and decisions based upon those situations. Don’t make any rash, drastic changes from one year to the next.”

You can listen to Chuck’s interview with Marion here: Interview with Marion Schier, Agronomist, United Soils, Inc.

2013 Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album