in regenerative AG, we look from the farm to table and every step in between. And then once we are done with those products, how we can integrate it back into our system to reuse them. So nothing goes to waste, damaging our farmlands and making sure everything is looked at when we go to put in a crop and that every part of the plant gets used.
In farming what nature gives nature can somehow take away even if the ground is fertile wind and water erosion are a battle for many farmers, more and more the fields of agriculture are returning to old techniques without using today's advanced technology. This is random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College. I'm your host, Steve fast. Today's guest is going to talk about how the college is using the techniques of regenerative agriculture to help instruct students on grounds that are planted and cultivated to sustain the environment around them.
Hi, I'm Courtney watts. I'm the Associate Director of Agriculture here at Heartland Community College. And I do an array of things so I help anywhere in the greenhouse. I step in when one of our teachers is out to teach a course or I could be working on the finances for department doing purchasing just an array of thing jack of all trades I'd like to thank you
recently received an environment in nature grant from the Illinois prairie Community Foundation. That's the first time that this grant has been issued. Can you tell us a little bit about it. We
got this grant to help out with our edible windbreak. We are working with the USDA and Savannah Institute for this project. It will be about 50 Trees long, three rows of trees spaced out I believe 20 feet in between each. And we also got part of a Perkins grant to help fund this as well. So we have two funding factors coming into play here. We are working with our regenerative ag class in the fall to pick the different cultivars of trees anywhere from nuts, berries, to vegetable but everything being put in this edible windbreak will be perennials and we are working with the hives for heroes as well. And the veterans here on campus to introduce bees into our edible windbreak. So we are looking at cultivars that are bee friendly. But yes, we are working with Matt bell at the USDA, Dave Bishop who's one of our part time faculty members, and then the savannah Institute to get this all put into place this fall.
You mentioned regenerative agriculture. That is something that is a little bit of a growing field of focus the last couple of years here at Heartland Community College, can you tell us what that means regenerative agriculture.
So in regenerative ag we look at from the farm to table and every step in between. And then once we are done with those products, how we can integrate them back into our system to reuse them. So nothing goes to waste more not being wasteful and damaging our farmlands or anything like that just making sure everything is looked at when we go to put in a crop and that every part of the plant gets used
when we are developing these new indoor and outdoor labs or community college. We're utilizing some space at the college for new ag building, but also new greenhouses and new outdoor growing spaces Learning Labs. How does the edible windbreak fit into that
the new ag complex is kind of off to the side, there is farmland around it. So there's not much of a windbreak when it comes to the building. So this will help with the heating and cooling of the building, making sure that the winds during the winter don't just automatically hit the building. So kind of stopping it that way. But also, we're still determining exactly where we want to put the windbreak. But we are hoping it invites more students across campus out towards our building. Since this will be edible. Students can go and pick an apple or a berry or whatever they would like on their way to class. And big push of this is we really want to be declared as an Arbor Day Tree Campus. So being able to put this in and working on a couple other projects, we will be able to be declared. I believe ISU and a couple other institutions around here are declared as a tree campus as well. So we want to be up there with the top leaders.
So when we think of agriculture in central Illinois, we don't necessarily think of agroforestry and how important is it in the bigger picture for this cropland to have something like trees and shrubs? And those sorts of windbreaks were those something that was part that was part of the natural prairie break, something that just got chewed up for more acreage? What's the role environmentally, for restoring or creating those sorts of spaces.
So I know one of the big moving factors is decreasing soil runoff and having some sort of windbreak with root coverage. It kind of keeps the soil there so we don't have to worry about that. But that also has a lot to do with cover crops and rainwater as well. But I would have to say Our biggest factor with this windbreak is making it so there's no erosion along because there is a road out there to get in and out of the parking lot that does have the availability to be built on if campus was to expand that way. So just helping with making sure erosion control and nice habitat for the bees here on campus and just aesthetically pleasing part, I guess. So, just really trying to promote the different cultivars of I know we are wanting to have different cultivars of the chestnut family. And I know the University of Illinois has been doing a lot of studies on these as well. So it's a lot of just coordinating with other people. We aren't exactly sure what all this has in store about right now we're potentially projecting 50 Trees long and three rows deep. But if this project was to continue on, we could extend down that read as well. So it all just depends on how this first semester or year goes.
You mentioned the bees. How complicated is that element of this whole project? I think when somebody thinks about beekeeping, they always think about it being so far away, away from everywhere else. There aren't a bunch of bees flying around everywhere. I but I know that there's urban beekeeping. I know that it's something that is a vital part of the ecosystem and making sure that we have the pollinators available. So tell us what goes into figuring out that part of what you're doing for these ag grounds. Yes.
So on the Student Veteran Center here on campus, the Ag department actually is sponsoring them, just because they are going to play a vital role in this. But with the bees population becoming very scarce, we're really wanting to do our part and make sure that we can do the best we can to introduce trees and berries and stuff that are appealing to bees that aren't going to harm them and draw them in, I believe the student veterans will be taking care of the honey production side of things. So we that's not something we'll have to worry about. But we are just going to make sure that we have the perfect spot for them to be.
It's interesting that the student veterans group is involved in this. Do you know anything about how that came about? Yes.
So we had heard in some of our preliminary meetings, that the student veterans were really wanting to bring peace to campus? Well, with this food forest, a lot of other windbreaks and stuff in the area, they do try to introduce bees, again, just trying to increase the pollinators because it is a huge problem we're facing right now. So how do we coordinate these two groups together to make sure we're doing the most beneficial thing for campus and growing and teaching our students how to successfully do this kind of thing in the real life. So we just want to do our part because bees are essential to every part of agriculture in the fields. And yeah, just being able to see that here on campus. We do. We do have a 50 acre research plot not too far from where we are put hoping to put our edible windbreak and we are currently doing a cover crop research project with the Illinois Soybean Association in that space. So yeah, just an all around good area to have them and try to do our part.
So tell me a little bit about how you came to this position here, where you an ag kid growing up.
So I have been in agriculture since I was very young. My family has a farm where they had goats and grain and that kind of thing I showed growing up goats, and it was a wonderful, wonderful experience. And then when I went off to college, I went to Lincoln land and got my Associates. Then I went to WSU and got my Bachelor's both in ag while I was there, I really found a passion of just wanting to help. And while at Western Illinois, I worked for a grant program. And then from there, I went straight into the workforce ended up at John Deere financial for about five years, while working to obtain my Master's at the same time at University of Tennessee Martin that was focused more on Environment and Natural Resources. And then I'm currently working on my doctorate in agriculture education. I'm trying to have a focus in that University of Illinois. But all along the way. I've always volunteered for four H and FFA competed in many events. I was a section officer in high school, I also participated in many clubs and stuff in college and I found a huge passion for it. So when I was in high school, I got my state and American FFA degrees and that takes 25 hours and a large sum of money to put towards a project and it was just I found a passionate my teachers along the way really pushed me and I knew that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to be there for the students and help push them along the way to find what they're really passionate about. As
we are opening up this new ag building and they're the projects that you've talked about. What's the thing that excites you the most for the students as they come in? as freshmen studying ag here or community college?
I think one of the very exciting Adding things currently is the greenhouse. We have a classroom right off the greenhouse that students get to do a lot more hands on work. And I feel like in agriculture, that's a very important part is just the hands on getting your hands dirty, and being able to see it in real life where, during COVID and stuff, all these classes that were online, they didn't get that component. And in agriculture, everything you do, it's going to be hands on, it seems like I had a research internship with DuPont Pioneer. And that was some of the hardest work I've ever done. But again, everything was hands on. And even I worked at UW Madison for five years before coming here. And I worked in their genetics department. And even though it wasn't crops, or soils, or anything like that it was more animals and their biology or plant biology and that kind of thing. Everything was still hands on. So being able for our students to have easy access from the classroom to the greenhouse, and then also being able to just be able to be more of a unified front where all of our students can help each other and building that friendship along the way. We're our new ag complex. The way it's designed is very inviting to our students. So it allows them to come in, see one another work with one another whenever they need to. And we're hoping to have a lot more internships and stuff and so that the students can have more hands on work with industry professionals. We bring in a lot of industry professionals to speak with our courses. And then we are having a plant sale in the spring so the students can see their work and be able to see the backside of things as well.
Well, Courtney, thanks so much for coming in to talk to us about the Ag programs and all the new stuff at Heartland Community College and ag but also the edible wind project.
Well thank you for having me.
Courtney Watts is Associate Director of Agriculture at Heartland Community College she joined us today to talk about the environment in nature grant from the prairie Community Foundation for an edible windbreak project on the campus apartments. If you're interested in other interviews about agriculture, environmental studies, and even beekeeping, subscribe to random acts of knowledge on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you found this one. Thanks for listening
