Southern Agriculture Cover Crops Workshop

The Arkansas Razorback Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society will sponsor the Southern Agriculture Cover Crops Workshop, held July 24-25, 2013, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The goals of the two-day workshop are to assist farmers in successful adoption of cover crops in Southern agricultural systems and to provide a forum for producer discussion and collaboration. The workshop will feature talks on soil biology, soil health, pest management, cost effectiveness of cover crops, selection of cover crops, cover crops in no-till systems, and more. Speakers include producers, university researchers, and USDA NRCS conservationists. Register by July 1 for the early registration rate of $100/person. View the agenda online and download the registration form here.

Soil Health Workshop Videos

The Colorado Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society is hosting a Technical Conference in Vail, Colorado, on November 12 and 13. The focus of the conference is soil health. Presentations will be streamed live and available for viewing after the conference. Access the presentations here.

National Soil and Water Stewardship Week

This week, soil and water stewardship efforts will be celebrated by conservation districts across the United States.

Governors in Iowa and Oklahoma have declared April 29 through May 6, 2012, as stewardship week in their respective states. These state-specific efforts will be held in conjunction with the National Association of Conservation Districts' 2012 "Soil to Spoon" stewardship awareness week.  

Click here to to find out more about Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Week. Read about other Soil and Water Stewardship events at the National Association of Conservation Districts Web site, and check out your local conservation district Web site to find out what's going on in your watershed!

Soil Quality Network 2012

If you've already exhausted the No-Till on the Plains soil health library from Monday's post, don't worry! Judging by the events posted on the SWCS Network calendar, February is the month of soil-friendly conferences and educational opportunities.

Today, farmers and educators gathered in Holyoke, Colorado for a no-till and cover crops workshop. This weekend, February 18 and 19, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is holding their annual conference, Sowing the Seeds of Our Food Sovereignty. And later this month is the International Erosion Control Association's Annual Conference.

Of course the SWCS wanted in on an event too, so we're co-sponsoring the Soil Quality Network 2012 in Portland on February 23-24. The Soil Quality Network 2012 conference will help agriculture consultants and planners develop strategies and actions to support farmers interested in improving soil quality. The agenda includes general sessions, farm tours, and breakout sessions, which feature hands-on demonstrations by researchers, technical specialists, and educators. Whether you're growing wheat or blueberries, the Soil Quality Network will provide information on assessing and monitoring soils in order to maintain the agricultural land base.

Who will be there?  NRCS and SWCD conservation planners; extension staff; crop consultants; field representatives; soil scientists; soil quality specialists; federal, state, and county agency agricultural staff; farmers and ranchers; as well as third party certifiers and inspectors are just some of the people who should plan to attend.

Soil Health Webinars

Need something to do while snowed in this week? The nonprofit educational group No-Till on the Plains has posted several free, online webinars about soil health. They cover a range of topics and come in bite-sized lengths. Click through to watch

Rolf Derpsch explain "The Importance of Quality Continuous No-tillage"

Dr. Kristine Nichols discuss "Microbes Description and General Activites: The Living Soils"

Dr. Nichols lecture on "Management: Managing Soil Biology for Profitability"

Dr. Nichols show how in "Demonstrations: Measuring Soil Health Toolkit"

SWCS/NRCS Workshop and Webinar - Soil Health for Grazing Lands and Croplands

SWCS/NRCS Workshop and Webinar

Soil Health for Grazing Lands and Croplands

Live from Monte Vista, Colo

November 2, 2010

8 a.m. — 3:30 p.m.

Two soil health experts from North Dakota will discuss the latest on cropland and rangeland system cover crops. The workshop will be streamed live on the web via Ustream.

Topics Include:

·         Soil Health Timeline

·         Cropping Systems Based on Soil Health

·         Cover Crops as a Tool

·         Team Building

·         Grazing Systems Based on Soil Health

·         Rebuilding Soil Health on a Farm (The Why)

Featured Speakers

Jay Fuhrer, District Conservationist

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Bismarck, North Dakota

Ken Miller, District Grazing Specialist/Technician

Burleigh County Soil Conservation District

Bismarck, North Dakota

There is no charge to participate via Ustream. Go to: www.swcs.org/colorado to watch.

To register and attend in person (in Monte Vista, CO) or for more information on the workshop, contact Mike Collins at (719) 589-6432 ext 138 or email at mike.collins@co.usda.gov.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Colorado Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) have partnered to conduct the training session.