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Illinois NRCS adds Soil Health Specialist
A new Soil Health Specialist position has been added to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service staff in Illinois.
State Conservationist Ivan Dosier tells Brownfield in recent years there has been more interest in reducing runoff, sequestering carbon, planting cover crops and other soil health practices.
“We just have such a diverse landscape, diverse soils and really wanted to ramp up the technical expertise in that area.”
He says University of Illinois graduate Dr. Stacy Zuber has been hired for the position and has already started her duties training NRCS staff and being a resource for Illinois farmers.
“She’s from a farm background, she knows this area, she knows the landscape, she knows the soils and she knows a lot of the people. So, we are really excited to have Dr. Zuber on board and we think she is going to do a fantastic job for us!”
He says Zuber will also lead a soil heath subcommittee through Dosier’s advisory committee to gather information from other organizations and agencies with the goal of advancing soil health specific to the state.
