This two-part event is designed for two levels of conservation staff. The first session is for new conservation agency staff (0-3 years of experience). The second session is for new AND early career staff (4-10 years of experience). Both sessions provide staff the opportunity to learn from Barry Fisher, a well-renowned soil health expert.

First session:  8:30-11:00 AM – new conservation staff

• Introduction to soils and soil health
• How to communicate these concepts to producers
• Soil health as a system and not just individual practices – how to stack practices
• Hands-on discussion with tillage equipment- what it does to the soil and impact on soil health
• Roundtable discussion on working with producers on soil health practices
• Understanding the basics when looking at a soil pit

Second session: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm – new conservation staff AND early career staff

• Compaction, infiltration and soil health: Learning from what you see in the soil profile
• Next Level Soil Health by Barry Fisher
• Success roundtable – addressing local soil health challenges
• Economics of soil health/soil conservation

The event is free and open to any conservation agency staff/partner organization staff. Pre-registration is required to ensure enough handouts and materials. Lunch will be provided for all pre-registrants. Space is limited and is on a first come/first serve basis. Event sponsors include UW Madison, Division of Extension’s Conservation Professional Training Program, NRCS, Fox Demo Farms, Outagamie and Brown County Land and Water Conservation Departments.

Please note, registration is FREE, but required