(Atlantic) Cass County Extension is partnering with the SWISH (Southwest Iowa Soil Health) group to host an educational event focused on soil health for area farmers and ag professionals. The second Annual Southwest Iowa Winter Soil Health Conference will be held at the Cass County Community Center, located at 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm on Wednesday, March 5th.
The conference will feature soil health experts and farmers from across Iowa sharing their boots-in-the field experience on making conservation practices work on their farms. A meal will be served over the lunch hour. This event is free to attend and open to the public; pre-registration is required by February 26 for meal and materials. Registration can be done by phone or email to ruth.blomquist@usda.gov or 319-541-2969. Registration is also available online using the attached QR code or via the link on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.
The morning session will kick off with NRCS State Soil Health Specialist, Hillary Olson talking about the efficacy of the soil health principles. Hillary will dive into soil health testing and discuss whether tests can measure differences in the soil due to management.
Heartland Cooperative Conservation Manager and Nuffield Scholar, Ruth McCabe, will present her thoughts and experiences from an international study on conservation practice adoption. Following Ruth, Warren County farmer Aaron White will discuss practices he’s implemented to improve efficiency and soil health in his corn, soybean and cattle operation, and his goal of building a resilient farm for future generations.
The conference keynote presentation will be given by Brian Dougherty with Understanding Ag. A dedicated educator and regenerative ag consultant, Brian will focus his session on using a systems approach to building soil biology and improving farm resiliency and profitability. The day will conclude with a panel of local farmers sharing their on-farm experiences in making conservation practices work on their farms and building soil health for increased farm resilience.
This field day is organized by the SWISH group; a volunteer group of farmers, ISU Extension and Outreach staff, NRCS staff, IDALS staff, and industry partners who are passionate about soil health and committed to increasing soil health awareness and adoption across southwest Iowa.
This field day is made possible with support from many organizations, including Iowa SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education), ISU Extension and Outreach in Cass County, Iowa Soybean Association, Dakota Bio, Midwest Soil Restore, Iowa Ag Water Alliance, Green Cover Seed, Ducks Unlimited, and several southwest Iowa Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
For more information about the event, contact local extension field agronomist Aaron Saeugling at clonz5@iastate.edu, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.
