Standard Measurements of Soil Health
2020-12-08 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Online
Measuring and assessing soil health are critical for understanding how changes in agronomic management practices affect the capability of soil to support cropping systems. In this presentation, the Soil Health Institute will highlight how the Institute is using data from the North American Project to Evaluate Soil Health Measurements to develop a standard set of measurements for both monitoring and evaluating soil health. The Institute has collected over 30 measurements across 124 long-term agricultural research plots resulting in the analysis of over 2,000 soil samples. This presentation will focus on how the Institute is classifying soil functioning, associating specific soil functions with soil health measurements, and using this new data set to inform measurement selection.
Learn more here.

Lessons Learned from Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems On-Farm Soil Health Research/Demonstration Sites
2020-12-08 13:00 - 14:00
This webinar will discuss the lessons learned by the Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI) in a statewide program to establish soil health demonstration plots on farmers’ fields. In 2012 the CCSI started establishing on-farm trials to test different soil health practices and to use commercial soil health tests to document changes in soil health with time. The farmer cooperators were also a key part of the education/outreach team for field days, workshops, and small group interactions with other farmers not yet using soil health practices. This webinar will discuss some of the challenges of this project and some recommendations for future projects with similar goals.
Learn more here.

How's My Waterway
2020-12-08 14:00 - 15:30
An updated version of How’s My Waterway (HMW) was released publicly in June 2020. HMW provides a comprehensive overview of water quality data and information in the United States on three different scales: community, state, and national. HMW pulls in data from eight databases across EPA through web services with the goal of answering questions about aquatic life, eating fish, swimming, drinking water, restoration, and protection. This live HMW demo is meant to help users:

Explore information about their drinking water, local stream conditions, and whether their waterways are suitable for swimming or eating fish and if they support aquatic life.
Discover if their waterways are being monitored and the location of local monitoring stations.
Learn what issues might be affecting their waterways.

Learn more here.

Wisconsin Salt Wise
2020-12-08 18:30 - 19:30
All the salt that we bring into Wisconsin leaves in our freshwater. The salt that is applied to roads, sidewalks, and placed in our water softeners is silently salting our surface and groundwater. Salt is cheap to buy, but the true cost of salt to freshwater, infrastructure, wildlife, and vegetation far outweighs its purchase price. Learn about salt reduction efforts across the state and how you can adopt and promote smart salting practices in your community.
Register here.

Nutrient Management Practices and Their Co-Benefits
2020-12-09 14:00 - 15:00
Nutrient management practices are critical for reducing nutrient loads downstream. But what about the other benefits nutrient management practices provide outside of water quality improvement? Tune into this webinar to hear about the co-benefits of nutrient management practices including pollinator habitat, carbon sequestration, and flood mitigation.
Register here.

Helping Farmers Help the Land Through Climate Smart-Farming
2020-12-10 12:00 - 13:00
The climate is changing in different ways across the United States. Participate in this webinar training to learn about how the climate has changed in your area and what that means for farmers and ranchers. This presentation focuses on the 4 ways producers can adapt:

• Assess landscape vulnerability
• Improve soil health
• Increase the heath and diversity of biological organisms
• Conserve resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Learn more here.

Salt your Fries, Not Our Freshwater
2020-12-10 12:00 - 13:00
Is your community oversalting roadways and drinking water? What are the hidden costs of excessive salt use to our roads, bridges, vehicles, wildlife, human health, and freshwater resources? Learn from municipalities and a university that have adopted best winter maintenance practices to keep pavement safe, save money, and cut their addictions to salt.
Register here.

Wetlands Key to Middle Cedar Watershed
2020-12-10 13:00 - 14:00
The virtual field day will highlight public and private partnerships working together to implement wetlands to reduce flooding and improve water quality in the Middle Cedar Watershed and beyond.
Learn more here.

Drought Calendars for Specialty Crops
2020-12-14 13:00 - 14:00
This webinar will highlight a recent project engaging specialty crop growers in the Midwest to better understand the seasonality of their decisions and drought information needs. The project has resulted in graphical decision calendars for grape, apple, cranberry, and irrigated potato production. Decision calendars describe the timing of management practices and decisions that are made throughout crop planting, growing, harvest, and dormant seasons, along with the climate-related concerns that impact the outcomes of management decisions. Decision calendars can help identify opportunities for inserting climate information into a decision process. We will discuss how decision calendars can be used to communicate and improve the usability of drought/climate monitoring and prediction science.
Learn more here.

Northeast Wisconsin Virtual Field Tours
2020-12-15 09:00 - 10:30
You’ll get to learn about five amazing conservation projects happening across northeast Wisconsin! The event will include five short videos, each featuring different regional projects and the opportunity to interact with the project partners about wetlands, wild rice, waterfowl, and more.
Learn more here.

Soil Health Management Summit
2020-12-15 09:00 - 2020-12-16 12:50
The Soil Management Summit planning committee wants to ensure the health and wellbeing of our participants, vendors, and everyone else involved in the summit’s production while maintaining the high standard of programmatic content the event has provided over the years. As the COVID-19 situation has evolved, we have made the difficult decision that this event will be offered online only.
This summit (formerly Conservation Tillage Conference) emphasizes proven farmer experience and applied science. Straight from the fields, learn how heavier, colder soils aren’t necessarily the challenge they’re made out to be. Hear from long-time no-till, reduced tillage, and cover crop farmers as they share their experiences, so you can be spared the same hard-learned lessons.
The Summit features presentations and Q&A with researchers, farmers and agricultural advisors, information from sponsors, and conversations with farmers experienced in different soil health practices.
Attendees who attend the entire conference will be offered CCA continuing education units (CEUs).
Learn more here.

Rotations and Management Strategies in Organic High Tunnels
2020-12-16 13:00 - 14:00
This webinar will discuss opportunities to include cover crops in high tunnel rotations and the potential impacts. Focused on organic management of high tunnels, we will discuss rotations and the use of cover crops. Speakers will describe crop rotations from their respective regions and impacts on weeds and disease management. Participants will learn about the value of including cover crops and the opportunities to include them in various rotations.
Learn more here.

Just-in-Time Soil Health
2020-12-16 14:00 - 15:00
There is a lot of focus on soil organic matter levels, but what if the flow of carbon through the soil is just as important for soil health? What if this flow is more important? Building and maintaining soil organic matter levels can be a long, slow process. Similarly, maintaining large warehouse inventory is expensive. In manufacturing, a cost-cutting concept called just-in-time production allows smaller inventory levels and has been widely adopted. Could the same concept be applied to soil management for just-in-time soil health?
Register here.

Scaling-Up Soil Health with Featherstone Farm
2020-12-16 19:00 - 20:30
Featherstone Farm is one of the largest, longest-standing fresh market certified organic vegetable farms in MN. Join Jack Hedin and Abby Benson as they share insights they have learned over the years and strategies they use to care for their soil. Come with ideas and questions about scaling-up soil health.
Register here.

2021 Virtual Nutrient Management Training for Wisconsin Farmers
2021-01-05 10:00 - 15:00
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Nutrient and Pest Management Program (University of Wisconsin-Madison) is offering a virtual training for farmers interested in writing their own nutrient management plans. This training will provide the basics of nutrient management including why use nutrient management, how to soil sample, soil test interpretation, soil pH management, manure and legume crediting, soil conservation, the basics of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium management, and an introduction to SnapPlus. The training will take place between 10 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. with several breaks.
Meeting times (choose 1):
January 5th from 10 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
January 7th from 10 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
February 3rd from 10 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
February 16th from 10 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
March 1st from 10 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Register here.

Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium
2021-01-06 08:00 - 2021-01-07 17:00
The event will gather developing research regarding harmful algal blooms (HABs) and provide a space to discuss how to improve outreach and engagement to stakeholders impacted by HABs. Topics will cover state and regional HAB responses, as well as research that covers HABs impacts on animal and human health. The symposium will also feature research on monitoring, identifying, and treating HABs and preventing HABs through nutrient management.
Learn more here.

Grazing for Profit
2021-01-06 09:00 - 10:00
Grazing livestock can be a profitable endeavor on par or exceeding the returns from other agricultural enterprises. Aaron Pape, grazier and Farm Business Instructor for Northeast WI Technical College, will demonstrate how management choices like extended grazing, winder feeding strategies, overheads, and enterprise selection impact the farm’s finances.
Register here.

Building and Navigating Organic Matter in Various Soil Types
2021-01-06 12:00 - 13:30
Tiffany LaShae has farmed all around the world, from rural Wisconsin to St. Paul to Uganda and Ghana. She has worked with soils ranging from less than 1% to 8% organic matter and has gained insight into growing vegetables successfully and sustainably in a wide variety of conditions. Join Tiffany to learn about her experiences, and to share your experiences growing vegetables in different types of soil.
Register here.

National Grazing Lands Coalition's Quarterly Roundtable Discussion
2021-01-07 12:00 - 13:00
This Zoom meeting will be a great opportunity to learn about what the National Grazing Land Coalition (NatGLC) has been up to, ask grazing related questions, network with other graziers from around the country, and let the NatGLC know what successes, challenges, and/or ideas you might have!
Register here.

WI Agribusiness Classic
2021-01-11 08:00 - 2021-01-14 17:00
Wisconsin’s premier agribusiness industry event will feature over 25 Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits and an interactive trade show. In addition to the educational sessions, this year’s Classic will also include the WABA Awards program, scholarship recipient recognition and an engaging opening general session.
Learn more here.

Local Government Aquatic Invasive Species Toolkit
2021-01-11 11:00 - 12:00
These three webinars are to assist local governments (and others that are interested) with navigating the regulatory framework associated with high-risk priority aquatic invasive species. The webinars will illustrate regional case studies.
Register here.

Farmer Outreach Coffee Chats
2021-01-13 09:00 - 10:00
These conversations will be a space for producers and ag professionals to connect across state lines, learn what the latest social science and data say about how to better engage new farmers on conservation, and hear what is actually working from your peers across the Midwest. Each discussion will focus on a specific topic related to conservation outreach. The tentative schedule includes:

January 13 – What sources of information do farmers use and trust?

January 27 – Beyond economics: What drives conservation decisions?

February 10 – Tell your story through video

February 24 – Supply chains: Barriers and opportunities

March 10 – Working with non-operating landowners

Register here.

Monitoring Lake Superior Coastal Wetlands with High-Resolution Satellite Imagery and Hydrological Modeling
2021-01-15 11:00 - 12:00
Webinar attendees will learn about a binational effort (Canada and US) to build automated or semi-automated monitoring approaches and algorithms to monitor coastal Great Lakes wetlands. Laura will share examples for the St. Louis River Estuary and Bad River pilot sites. Attendees will learn about methods to routinely map surface water and vegetation inundation extent from satellite radar observations, methods for modeling Great Lakes hydrological connectivity, work underway for the US/Canada Superior coastline that is allowing distinction of coastal and non-coastal wetlands, methods for mapping and monitoring wetland type and invasive species, and how these products can be used to monitor shorebird breeding habitat with an example from the St. Clair Delta.
Register here.

Assessing Soil Health: On-Farm Economics
2021-01-19 11:00 - 12:00
Measuring and assessing soil health is critical for understanding how changes in agronomic management practices affect the capability of soil to support cropping systems. In this presentation, the Soil Health Institute will present an evaluation of the economics of adopting Soil Health Management Systems developed from 125 interviews with farmers and accounting for changes in management. This presentation will focus on how financial outcomes of adopting Soil Health Management Systems compare to more conventional production practices.
Learn more here.

Farm Transitions Introductory Workshops
2021-01-19 13:00 - 15:00
Join this introductory workshop to gain an understanding the components of Farm Transition Planning. Retiring farmers and non-operating landowners interested in long-term sustainable practices and beginning farmers accessing land will have the chance to hear from peers who are in the process or who have already completed a farm transition.
Learn more here.

Microbiology/Compost Call
2021-01-19 18:00 - 20:00
Take a deeper dive into microbiology and composting! Microbially diverse compost is increasingly being recognized as an effective way to inoculate and maintain healthy soil biology. Kassie Brown of Potter Ridge Farm will give a presentation about how she looks for organisms in compost and what she found in the samples. The presentation will also include different types of compost and methods for applying that biology to large and small-scale farms. Come learn and network with fellow composters!
Register here.

Illinois Conservation Cropping Seminars
2021-01-20 09:00 - 11:00
Don’t miss information about ways farmers like yourself can improve soil health, learn about cover crops, remain profitable—and even more marketable—by using sustainable techniques that build up natural resilience to weather extremes, pests, and weeds. Learn from educators, researchers, experts, and local Illinois farmers! Speakers include Ray Archuleta, Dr. Joel Gruver, and others.
Learn more here.

Focus on Forage
2021-01-20 12:30 - 13:30
Focus on Forage is a FREE, 7-part Extension webinar series highlighting research-based information and farmer strategies to optimize forage yield, quality, and profitability in Wisconsin.
January 13 Managing for High Quality Corn Silage
January 20 Strategies for Achieving Alfalfa Production Goals
January 27 Optimizing Production of Grass and Mixed Grass Forages
February 3 Using Small Grains to Fill a Forage Niche
February 10 Alternative Forage Strategies When Alfalfa Fails with Tom Kilcer of Advanced Ag Systems
February 17 No Webinar
February 24 Alfalfa-Fescue Mixtures for Dairy Forage (Dr. Jerry Cherney, Cornell University)
March 3 To be determined
Focus on Forage webinars will be held weekly on Wednesdays from 12:30 to 1:30 pm from January 13th through March 3rd. CCA CEUs will be offered for each webinar. Webinars are free, but registration is required by 5 pm the day before the event. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants.
Register here.

The Why and How of Pollinator Habitat: Making Every Acre the Best it Can Be
2021-01-21 11:00 - 12:00
By following a few proven recommendations for site preparation, planting, and managing pollinator habitat can produce significant results and benefits. This webinar will outline some of those key considerations along with new opportunities to access free pollinator seed mixtures and technical guidance through support from the National Corn Growers Association and others.
Learn more here.

New Technologies, Data, and Markets to Accelerate Improvements in Forest Carbon Credits
2021-01-21 12:00 - 13:00
Topics include:

How to procure science-based forest carbon credits from landowners in your state or supply chain (the RISE framework – real, immediate, scalable, efficient)
How data is democratizing access to forest carbon markets
How market mechanisms can achieve balance on the landscape encompassing forest values beyond just timber – including carbon, biodiversity, wildfire mitigation
The state of the art in carbon procurement

Learn more here.
