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U of I presents Southern Illinois assessment

By Codell Rodriguez, The Southern

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 11:23 AM CST

DIXON SPRINGS - Stephen Gasteyer and Courtney Flint, assistant professors at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, have found that Southern Illinois has environmental, agricultural and economic hurdles to clear and has the means to do so.

Since May 2006, Flint, assistant professor with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, and Gasteyer, assistant professor with the Department of Human and Community Development, took lead on the project Southern Illinois Regional Assessment Project, which was initiated to assess a 20-county region in Southern Illinois and the role of Dixon Springs Agricultural Center. Gasteyer and Flint gave a presentation of the findings to stakeholders Thursday at the agricultural center.

"We looked not only at particular sectors, but what the linkage was among them," Gasteyer said.

Sixteen areas of research were reviewed in the project including agriculture, land use, income and employment and indicators of health.

Agriculture

The study found that 65 percent of the region's land is dedicated to farming, but farmers face problems with the climate. One of the main problems comes from the soil's inability to withstand freezing temperatures and easy erosion, a trait the study says the northern part of the state doesn't have to deal with as much. With the soil problems, the region also faces problems with weed and insect infestation.

Despite its problems, Southern Illinois leads the state in specialty crops including vineyards and orchards.

Bernie Colvis, who farms fruits such as cantaloupes, tomatoes and tree fruits in Chester, said that while agriculture is an important part of the region, there's a lot more to making Southern Illinois advance.

"If we're going to prosper, we're going to have to work together and it does involve more than agriculture," Colvis said.

Human well-being

As far as the residents of the region, the study found that it has the highest poverty rate in Illinois and a large number of people in prime working years have left to find work elsewhere.

Health care is an important part of the research, not only because the field can provide employment, but because Southern Illinois has issues with alcohol, smoking, disease and access to health care and insurance.

On a positive note, many counties are importing and exporting residents who are commuting for work. It particularly found Jackson and Williamson counties as being strong job markets and sharing a relationship where they trade residents commuting to work.

Lucy Logsdon, an adjunct professor of English and creative writing at Southeastern Illinois College, said the information helps her because knowing what kind of state the region is in helps her in finding what challenges she faces as an instructor.

"This affects me most as an instructor," Logsdon said. "We have to think of ways we can strengthen the area and what kinds of challenges students might be facing."

Environment

While agriculture is a strong part of the region, it's also the leading cause of water impairment in Southern Illinois, the study found.

Wildlife is highly stressed in the research, which cites recreational hunting as being a major contributor to the economy and a necessity in keeping population in check.

Dixon Springs Agricultural Center

The next step was finding how the agricultural center, which opened in 1938, fits into Southern Illinois' future. The study found that 75 percent of farmers asked found it to be an important part of the region. Ken Bolen, who farms an orchard outside of Benton, said the animal and crop science studies at the center have been an invaluable tool for the region.

Dixon Springs center "is an important research and extension program for Southern Illinois," Bolen said.

Among the conclusions, Gasteyer and Flint found that there are multiple layers in Southern Illinois and change in one sector can drastically change another. Their recommendations were to not make "blanket assumptions" about the region. They said an advisory committee of stakeholders and university representatives would improve relationships between the agricultural center, the region and the university.

Bolen said he was impressed with the study and will take the findings to heart.

"I was pleased to be part of the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center today. The findings that were shared, I found interesting and helpful," Bolen said.

codell.rodriguez@thesouthern.com

351-5804