Farmers in eastern Wisconsin interested in adopting innovative practices to improve the health of their soil can get their hands dirty at a field day Aug. 30. The Soil Health Partnership will showcase how changing nutrient management and tillage strategies, along with cover crop adoption, can create lasting environmental and even economic benefits.
“Time and again, farmers rise to the challenge of growing more with less through innovation and industriousness,” said Nick Goeser, director of the Soil Health Partnership. “Soil health is the next frontier in the progression of agriculture, and more farmers are realizing that every day.”
The field day takes place:
9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Aug. 30, 2016
W4430 County Road JM
Plymouth, WI 53073
Protecting and improving soil is one of the single most effective options for carbon mitigation, Goeser said. Farmers are working to mitigate greenhouse gases by rejuvenating soil, which helps it store carbon more effectively. Healthy soil also protects waterways from nutrient leaching.
Hosted by Dennis and Dan Roehrborn, farmers enrolled in the Partnership, the field day will cover:
- Practical means to improve soil health – balancing economics and crop yields with cover crops
- Cover crop inter-seeding and establishment equipment
- Low disturbance manure-injection equipment
- A soil pit to observe cover crop root growth and soil properties
- University of Wisconsin research plots
Farmers, land owners and community members can engage in hands-on learning at the event. For more details or to register, visit SoilHealthPartnership.org.
An initiative of the National Corn Growers Association, the SHP works closely with diverse organizations including commodity groups, federal agencies and well-known environmental groups including The Nature Conservancy toward common goals. The Partnership is in its third year with 65 partner farms across eight Midwestern states. In the Sheboygan River Basin, The Nature Conservancy has provided incentive funds to 12 farmers through the generous support of the Kohler Trust for Preservation.
About the Soil Health Partnership
The Soil Health Partnership brings together diverse partner organizations including commodity groups, federal agencies, universities and environmental groups to work toward the common goal of improving soil health. Over a period of at least 10 years, the SHP will identify, test and measure farm management practices that improve soil health and benefit farmers. We believe the results of this farmer-led project will provide a platform for sharing peer-to-peer information, and lend resources to benefit agricultural sustainability and profitability. An initiative of the National Corn Growers Association, we provide the spark for greater understanding and implementation of agricultural best practices to protect resources for future generations. For more, visit soilhealthpartnership.org.
