Farmers hurting for help with conservation experts

On a hot summer day, John Williams is walking through the vegetable farm he manages in central Illinois.

“All these white tubes coming up are tree tubes,” he said, “so they’re little protections for newly planted trees.”

Hazelnut, apple and pear trees run in between the fields and around the perimeter of the property at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Illinois. The farm got funding to plant them through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The trees will help protect the farm’s soil from strong winds and heavy rains, Williams said.

“That’ll help keep more of the soil on our land and less from running downhill,” he said.

NRCS staff in county offices ac...