Building Better Waterways: Installing Woodchip Bioreactors

Source: University of Illinois Extension

Woodchip bioreactors are a useful tool in reducing nutrient loss, particularly nitrate, from tile-drained fields before the water is discharged. In this episode of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Podcast, farmer Brian Corkill and contractor David Johnston join Illinois Sustainable Ag Partnership’s Helen VanBeck to discuss the recent installation of a bioreactor on Corkill’s farm, the process behind it, and the benefits of this edge-of-field practice.

Brian was a recipient of a Good Idea Mini-Grant, a program to encourage the adoption of edge-of-field practices and farmer-to-farmer learning about them. Good Idea Mini-Grants were made possible with funding from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Walton Family Foundation.

Length: 11:17

Year Produced: 2024

State: Illinois

Cropping Systems: Corn, Soybean

Tags: bioreactors, edge-of-field practices, Good Idea Mini-Grant, Reduce Runoff, water quality