|
|
 |
Register Now
for Soil Fertility & Nutrient Management Workshop Series Beginning
in November
As the farm economy becomes tighter and the environmental pressure
greater on farmers, understanding your soil fertility and nutrient
needs becomes ever so important. The Darke Soil and Water
Conservation District (SWCD) will again be hosting the Soil Fertility
& Nutrient Management Workshop Series beginning in November.
This is a four-part workshop that begins with the basics and ends with
a farm plan for up to 50 acres on your farm. For a mere $20.00,
you can register, but space is limited. Register early to
guarantee your spot in this workshop geared toward helping farmers
better understand soil needs and efficient nutrient use.
The Darke SWCD along with its partners at Shelby SWCD, OSU Extension,
Otte Ag LLC, and Wright State-Lake Campus are excited to announce
another round of this workshop series. Your $20.00 registration
includes meals, reference materials, two soil samples and (new for this
year) two soil health tests. That’s over a $150.00 value!
Thanks to our partners and other funding sources, we are able to offer
this at an affordable rate of $20.00. The workshop series will be
held at the Versailles School with a tour of Brookside Lab in New
Bremen. Here are the important dates to remember: November
17th, December 15th, January 12th and January 26th. All meetings,
except for the December meeting, will be held from 6:00 PM to 9:00
PM. The lab tour in December will begin at 10:00 AM.
“Thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, we
are able to include the soil health test for participants this year,”
said Jared Coppess, District Administrator for Darke SWCD. “This
soil health test goes beyond just nutrients, and measures the quality,
or soil health as it relates to soil biology, structure and
porosity. This test can go a long way in showing the value of
cover crops and how they can increase the microorganism activity in
your soil.”
The soil health test measures the soil’s carbon dioxide rate, microbial
active carbon and water soluble carbon. Each of these is an indicator
of the soil’s structure and ability to use nutrients. The soil
health test relies on the same kind of core sampling that farmers
already know. This test is currently offered in only three
locations and one of them is Brookside Laboratories in New Bremen,
Ohio. The other two labs are in Maine and Nebraska. The
soil health test will not replace standard soil testing, but is meant
to compliment the standard nutrient analysis.
“Understanding soil health can help farmers save on unneeded fertilizer
which is good for the wallet and the environment,” added Coppess.
Each workshop will begin with a meal followed by presentations related
to environmental stewardship, basic agronomy, commercial fertilizers
vs. manures, nitrogen testing, Tri-State Fertility Recommendations, the
fertilizer value of manure, and development of a farm plan based on the
Tri-State Spreadsheet. Participants will be given a binder full
of reference materials, record sheets and each speaker’s
presentation. The binder is meant to be a tool and reference
guide when the workshop is complete.
If you are a Certified Livestock Manager (CLM) or a Certified Crop
Advisor (CCA), participation in this workshop will earn you credits
toward keeping your certification(s) current. Participants who
attend all four sessions will be eligible to receive their Fertilizer
Certification from the Ohio State University. Each session will
have a sign-in sheet to verify attendance and proper disbursement of
credit hours.
Registrations will be accepted until the class is full, space is
limited to 30 people. Registration isn’t complete until you have
paid the $20.00 registration fee. For more information please
visit www.darkeswcd.com or call 937.548.1752. Make $20.00
registration payable to Darke SWCD and mail or drop off at 1117
Southtowne Court, Greenville, Ohio 45331.
Understanding the benefits of proper nutrient management are two-fold,
lower input costs and reduce environmental impairments. These are
two goals any farmer should have because they relate to money and
protecting the land. Given recent water quality events around
Ohio and the nation, agriculture is under the microscope when it comes
to nutrient use and management. Register today for the Soil
Fertility & Nutrient Management Workshop Series to help improve
your farms bottom line and impact on the environment.
|
|
|
|
