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The new ISA/ICMC partnership will increase technical assistance and outreach capacity to connect soybean and corn farmers to conservation programs and financial assistance
By Mike Smith, Coordinating Wildlife Biologist
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is partnering with the Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA) and Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) to support their strategic goals for environmentally and economically sustainable production.
Building on our successful 6-year partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Indiana and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, the new ISA/ICMC partnership will increase technical assistance and outreach capacity to connect soybean and corn farmers to conservation programs and financial assistance. I joined the PF & QF Indiana team in January as a coordinating wildlife biologist and will support our existing network of Farm Bill biologists and other technical assistance providers in the state to connect with and educate landowners about wildlife and pollinator habitat conservation.
“ISA and ICMC chose to partner with Pheasants Forever because we have a common interest in putting each acre to its best use,” says Joe Rorick, On-Farm Sustainability Programs and Research Coordinator for ISA and Purdue Extension. “Pollinators are in the public eye and this partnership will help Indiana’s corn and soybean growers understand how they can contribute to the survival of these critical species.”
“Partnering with ISA and ICMC is a great fit for The Habitat Organization,” says Kent Adams, Director of Conservation Delivery for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Northeast Region. “We have a long history of working with farmers and landowners to navigate conservation programs and implement practices that fit their individual operations. We want to promote profitable and sustainable conservation practices that boost pollinators and wildlife on working farms.”
I am proud to join the Pheasants Forever team, and have long admired PF’s pragmatic approach to restoring upland and pollinator habitat. My time working on conservation in other states taught me to appreciate Indiana’s model of collaboration among agencies, land grant universities, commodity groups and NGOs like PF. I am excited to be delivering habitat in my home state.
Mike Smith lives near Lafayette, Indiana and is available to support outreach and education efforts devoted to pollinator and other wildlife habitat restoration. Contact him at msmith@pheasantsforever.org or 812-661-2407.
This story originally appeared in the 2022 Summer Issue of the Pheasants Forever Journal. If you enjoyed it and would like to be the first to read more great upland content like this, become a member today!