By Tracy Turner
Farmers, certified crop advisers and other members of the agriculture industry can gain in-depth insight into soil health and conservation during a daylong Ohio Soil Health Symposium on March 28.
The event runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is sponsored by the Seneca Conservation District and will feature presentations by experts with the district, the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University, and other agriculture industry experts.
“The symposium will provide the latest research and policy information which will guide soil health improvement,” said Alan Sundermeier, an Ohio State University Extension educator. OSU Extension is the outreach arm of the college.
“The Seneca County area in north-central Ohio has made great progress in soil conservation practices,” Sundermeier said. “This symposium will encourage further understanding of how to manage chemical, physical and biological soil properties for improving soil health.”
As part of the program, John Fulton, precision agriculture specialist for OSU Extension, will discuss “Using Technology and On-Farm Research to Guide Decisions Toward Soil Health.”
Additional topics for the daylong event will include:
- Recovering Your Soils from Pipeline Installation
- Not the Healthiest Soil? You Still Have Options
- Growing Opportunities: From Farmer to Entrepreneur
- Grazing Livestock for Healthy Soil
- Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health
- Recovering from a Pipeline (panel discussion)
- Nothin’ But the Truth: My Farm’s Journey to Healthy Soil
- Conservation Planning to Restore Soil Health
- State and National Initiatives to Reach Healthy Soil in Ohio
- Soil Health 101
- Using Technology and On-Farm Research to Guide Decisions Toward Soil Health
- Gypsum as a Soil Health Amendment
- A presentation by Jay Fuhrer, North Dakota state soil health specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
“This symposium is an opportunity to learn more about how to keep our soils healthy by growing cover crops which absorb soluble nutrients and keep our soils from eroding,” said Jim Hoorman, regional soil health specialist with the Northeast Region NRCS-Soil Health Division, Ohio and Michigan.
Hoorman said the agency promotes increasing soil biota and plant diversity to keep nutrients and water recycling efficiently; disturbing the soil less; keeping a living root growing throughout the year to increase nutrient recycling; and keeping the soil covered with live plants to reduce soil and wind erosion and to lessen raindrop impact on the soil surface.
The symposium will be held at the Camden Falls Reception and Conference Center, 2460 State Route 231, in Tiffin. Registration cost for the event is $35 and includes lunch and handouts.