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Wetland Mitigation Credits Available to Illinois Farmers

Farmers facing NRCS wetland compliance issues now have a simplified way to resolve them.

Mike Glester, director of operations at Magnolia Land Partners, says the Illinois Conservation Exchange gives growers access to credits earned through the company’s five wetland mitigation banks.

“You can call a bank sponsor and say, ‘Hey, I’m in this county. It has been determined that there is a wetland violation on my 1.4 acre property. I would look to mitigate this from your bank’s site. Do you have any credits available for me?’ “, he said.

Magnolia analyst Nikki Palella tells Brownfield…

“Within these riparian sites, we have different forested and herbaceous wetlands represented. She says, “With these five banking sites, we are able to sell these credits to virtually every farmer in the state.” »

Glester says it’s a convenient new option.

“Traditionally, the method to fix this problem would be to fix what you’ve done. He says, “Let’s say you drained a wetland, you’d have to tear up that drain and restore it to the wetland condition it was, or you could create a wetland somewhere else. »

Glester says purchasing credits from these NRCS-approved banking sites allows growers to quickly meet federal wetlands compliance requirements and maintain access to USDA benefits.

A link to learn more can be found HERE.

AUDIO: Mike Glester and Nikki Palella – Magnolia

Photo courtesy of Magnolia