Agricultural News
Register now for Soil Health workshops at the OK Association of Conservation Districts Meeting
Wed, 19 Feb 2020 15:21:46 CST
One conference is offering two tracks of outstanding Soil Health information. Whether you live in an urban or rural area, there's a Soil Health workshop for you on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts State Meeting -
"Conservation@Home" and "Revitalizing Agriculture Systems" at the Edmond Convention Center, 2833 Conference Drive in Edmond.
While the State Meeting actually runs Sunday, Feb. 23 through Tuesday, Feb. 25, this one day is devoted to soil health speakers from both Oklahoma and nationally.
Sarah Blaney, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, on Wednesday said, "Thanks to a generous donor, we're able to offer 50% off registration for the next 40 people! It's a smorgasbord of regenerative land management that you don't want to miss."
Registration for either of the two Soil Health Tracks is $50 for participants and $25 for students, and includes lunch.
To Register Online, please go to: OK Conservation.
Too often we think one word can only be linked to one subject.
Take for example, conservation. There are those who immediately view it as a rural-only topic, focusing on medium to large farming and ranching operations.
"Conservation is for everyone," said Sarah Blaney, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD).
That is precisely why "Conservation @Home: Building Community Resiliency" is the first workshop of the OACD State Meeting to be dedicated solely to the small, urban and suburban producer and homeowner.
"Our goal is to provide a workshop with something for everyone who is passionate about the environment," Blaney said. "Whether that is adding native pollinator habitat to your yard or learning how to reduce what goes into landfills by starting your own composting project."
The "Conservation @Home" workshop will be held Feb. 25 during the three-day 2020 OACD State Meeting at the Edmond Convention Center, 2833 Conference Drive in Edmond. Topics covered throughout the day will include Composting as a Soil Health Tool, Interconnections between Soil & Water, Science over Politics, Conservation Landscaping, Native Oklahoma Pollinators and How to
Make Money with Urban Farming.
Read the words of Dr. Jill Clapperton.
After doing so, close your eyes for a second and absorb them. Think about your farm or ranch and the potential beneath your feet.
Here's what Dr. Clapperton, a world-renowned soil health expert, once said, "When we are standing on the ground, we are really standing on the roof of another world. Living in the soil are plant roots, viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, mites, nematodes, worms, ants, maggots and other insects and insect larvae (grubs), and larger animals: the soil biota.
Indeed, the number of living organisms below ground is considered to be far greater than that above ground."
Clapperton is the keynote speaker for "Revitalizing Agriculture Systems," the producer soil health track during the 2020 Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts (OACD) State Meeting, Feb. 25 at the Edmond Convention Center, 2833 Conference Drive in Edmond. This is part of a three-day conference.
Clapperton is the Principal Scientist and CEO of Rhizoterra Inc. She is an internationally recognized educator on how to create and maintain healthy productive soils that produce tasty nutrient dense food.
Clapperton has a PhD in Plant Ecophysiology, and worked as the Rhizosphere Ecologist for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for 16 years before founding Rhizoterra Inc. She said, "We know that healthy soils diversify and regenerate essential ecosystem services; improving air and water quality, the health of ourselves and our animals, and so much more."
Clapperton is part of an impressive lineup of speakers for the fourth annual producer soil health track at the OACD State Meeting.
National speakers also include Loran Steinlage of Iowa, and a panel discussion about how to market soil health to increase profitability for producers featuring Jason Weller of Land O'Lakes SUSTAIN, Barry Knight of Indigo Ag, and Rod Snyder from Field to Market.
Snyder is President of Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, a diverse alliance working to create opportunities across the agricultural supply chain in the United States for continuous improvements in productivity, environmental quality, and human well-being. Prior to this role, Snyder held positions as Public Policy Director for the National Corn Growers Association and Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America.
He is particularly recognized for his work at the intersection of agricultural and environmental issues. In 2015, Snyder co-founded the Sustainable Agriculture Summit, which has grown to be the largest and most prominent annual sustainable agriculture conference in North America.
Plus this meeting will highlight some of Oklahoma's outstanding producers. Jimmy Emmons of Leedey, the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Regional Coordinator for the USDA Southern Plains Region and the 2017 Leopold Conservation Award Recipient, will serve as the producer track emcee for the day. Russ Jackson of Mountain View, the 2018 Leopold Conservation Award Recipient, is among the speakers, and there will be a focus on improving the quality of grazing lands soil health with presentations by Kim Barker of the Oklahoma Grazinglands Coalition and producer Bill Payne.
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