Full Text of HJR0063 102nd General Assembly
HJ0063 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Soil is an essential natural resource, and | 3 | | Illinois farmers and professionals play a critical role in | 4 | | managing Illinois soil and water resources; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) | 6 | | of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines | 7 | | soil health as the continued capacity of soil to function as a | 8 | | vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and | 9 | | humans; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The concept of soil health across the Illinois | 11 | | landscape is not new but is only recently recognized as needed | 12 | | to prevent soil degradation and combat climate change; the | 13 | | degradation of soil can be rapid, while the formation and | 14 | | regeneration processes can be very slow; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, The protection of Illinois soil is essential to | 16 | | the long term prosperity and sustainability of the soil and | 17 | | water resources of our State, counties, and cities, and the | 18 | | six basic principles of soil health necessary for that | 19 | | protection are to: | 20 | | (1) minimize soil disturbance and external inputs, | 21 | | including reduced tillage; | 22 | | (2) maximize plant and microbial diversity; |
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| 1 | | (3) maintain the presence of living roots; | 2 | | (4) keep the soil covered, including with cover crops | 3 | | and crop residue, to armor the soil; | 4 | | (5) integrate animals into land management, including | 5 | | grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects, or keystone | 6 | | species, such as earthworms; and | 7 | | (6) incorporate the context of local conditions in | 8 | | decision-making, including for example soil type, | 9 | | topography, and time of year; and be it further | 10 | | WHEREAS, Soil health principles and its associated | 11 | | practices of no-till, cover crops, nutrient management plans, | 12 | | and longer crop rotations enhance the ability of farmers to | 13 | | meet the non-point source pollution goals for nitrate-nitrogen | 14 | | and phosphorus; it is essential to reduce the amount of | 15 | | nutrients flowing off of farm fields and into our watersheds; | 16 | | with these reduced nutrient losses from agriculture lands, | 17 | | which are detailed in the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction | 18 | | Strategy (NLRS), farmers will be able to meet desired outcomes | 19 | | as outlined by the Mississippi River Basin Hypoxia Task Force | 20 | | for the Gulf of Mexico; and
| 21 | | WHEREAS, Soil health principles provide for the reduction | 22 | | of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through the sequestration | 23 | | of carbon within the upper reaches of the soil profile; this | 24 | | carbon mitigation improves the organic matter content in the |
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| 1 | | soil and provides a stable biome for soil organisms, improved | 2 | | nutrient transfer from soil to root, and increases water | 3 | | infiltration and water holding capacity; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, Despite soil's importance to human health, the | 5 | | environment, nutrition and food, feed, fiber, and fuel | 6 | | production, there is little public awareness of the importance | 7 | | of soil protection; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The State of Illinois should be actively raising | 9 | | awareness of the importance of soil health and promoting its | 10 | | stewardship to safeguard this resource for future generations | 11 | | of Illinois citizens; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 13 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 14 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare the first full week | 15 | | of March 2022 as "Illinois Soil Health Week" and the Wednesday | 16 | | of that week as "Illinois Soil Health Day"; and be it further | 17 | | RESOLVED, That these two celebrations and their related | 18 | | activities will improve the awareness of Illinois farmers and | 19 | | agri-business toward the importance of the air and water | 20 | | quality environment for all of the citizens the State; and be | 21 | | it further
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 2 | | presented to the Director of the Department of Agriculture, | 3 | | the Office of the Governor, the Chair of the Illinois Senate | 4 | | Agriculture Committee, and the Chair of the Illinois House | 5 | | Agriculture & Conservation Committee.
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