Soil Health Clinic Date Set
SIKESTON, MO.
On November 5, 2014 at the Miner Convention Center located at Sikeston, Mo. the Missouri Delta Soil Health Alliance will host the Soil Health Clinic.
The day’s agenda is:
• 8:00 – Registration
• 9:00 – Demo’s & Basic Principals of Soil Health
• 10:15 – Break
• 10:30 – Making Soil Health Work Part 1
• 12:00 – Lunch Provided
• 1:00 – Delta Center Soil Health Update
• 1:30 – Local Producer Panel
• 2:15 – Break
• 2:30 – Making Soil Health Work Part 2
• 3:30 – Q and A for all speakers
Guest speaker for the program is Gabe Brown. Gabe is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement which focuses on regenerating our resources.
Gabe along with his wife Shelly, and son Paul, own and operate a diversified 5,000 acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota. Their ranch focuses on farming and ranching in nature’s image.
The Brown’s holistically integrate their grazing and no-till cropping system which includes a wide variety of cash crops along with multi-species cover crops along with all natural grass fed beef, poultry and sheep. This diversity and integration has regenerated the natural resources on the ranch without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides.
Another speaker Doug Peterson is a rancher and a 25 year NRCS employee in Missouri. Currently he is the State Soil Health Conservationist teaching staff and producers around the state about soil health, how it impacts virtually all natural resource processes, and what type of management it will take to effectively improve our soil’s health.
He also operates a cow/calf and contract grazing operation with his father Steve. They utilize Management-intensive Grazing and Holistic High Density Grazing to improve soil health, eliminate the need for most purchased fertilizer and limit hay needs to about one bale/cow per winter.
Finally is Dr. Gene Stevens who grew up on a dairy crop farm in Oakland, Tenn. He earned a PhD in soil science from Mississippi State University in 1992. He conducted research on cover crops for conservation tillage at Milan, Tenn. and Holly Springs, Miss. He is currently the cropping systems specialist at the University of Missouri Fisher Delta Center at Portageville. His extension program is focused on educating clientele on farming practices to increase crop yields, reduce input costs, and conserve natural resources. He has also conducted research on rice irrigation in South Africa and soil testing in Tanzania.
The Local Producer Panel consists of:
• Jeff Lorberg of Cape Girardeau County
• Wayne Corse of Mississippi County
• Ken Westrich of Scott County
• Patrick Seyer of Scott County
• Johnny Hunter of Stoddard County
Lunch provided with RSVP by October 29th. Please contact Stoddard County SWCD at 573-624-5939 ext 3. If you need an accommodation, please contact Steve Crisel by October 29th at 573-243-1467 ext. 6. CEU’s applied for. ∆