Conservation Partnership Training
2021-01-26 08:00 - 2021-01-28 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Online
Save the date for the Conservation Partnership Training. Attendees will learn about WI Land+Water, Standards Oversight Council (SOC), agency partners (DATCP, DNR, NRCS), Pheasants Forever, Trout Unlimited, and the Conservation Professional Training Program.
Contact Penny at Penny@wisconsinlandwater.org with any questions.

Lower Fox Farmer Roundtable
2021-01-26 09:00 - 10:00 | Online
January 26 (9:00-11:30 a.m.) – We will start with a welcome from Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance. This will be followed by a panel session made of farmers and nutritionists discussing their use of cover crops as alternative forages. Come ready to ask questions! We will wrap up the event with our keynote speaker Tom Kilcer who will talk about the economics of winter forage, nutrient retention, and the impact on following crops.

February 2 (9:00-10:00 a.m.) – Manure Management: Hear about John Vandenboom’s experience with digestors and solids

February 9 (9:00-10:00 a.m.) – Grazing: Learn about grazing from Adam Abel and hear about Dan Diedrich’s experience implementing grazing on his farm.

February 16 (9:00-10:00 a.m.) – Irrigation: Hear from John Vandenboom and Nick Dallmann about their experiences using pivot irrigation and irrigation guns.

Learn more here.

Building and Maintaining Conservation Partnerships
2021-01-26 09:00 - 11:00 | Online
Join for an informational webinar “visit” with retired NRCS State Conservationists on the subject of Building and Maintaining Conservation Partnerships. The webinar will be an informal format for state conservation agency staff, executives, NRCS leaders, and partners to visit and share ideas, techniques, and strategies for building and maintaining strong conservation partnerships at the local, state, and national levels. Plan to participate, share, and learn with colleagues from across the nation.
Register here.

Guide to Outcomes Estimation Tools
2021-01-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
In December of 2020, American Farmland Trust’s Dr. Michelle Perez (Water Initiative Director) and Dr. Emily Cole (Climate and Agriculture Program Manager for New England) published “A Guide to Water Quality, Climate, Social, and Economic Outcomes Estimate Tools: Quantifying Outcomes to Accelerate Farm Conservation Practice Adoption.” The guide features 14 outcomes estimation tools and two methods, which can be used by farm conservation project managers without requiring professional computer modeling experience. In this webinar, we will:

– Present tips on how farm conservation project managers can use the Guide to identify a tool or a method that might work for them
– Compare and contrast tools that are suited for field versus project evaluation and tools that offer site-specific versus generalized estimates
– Review recommendations that will foster further refinement of the existing tools and methods and better support project managers

Learn more here.

Cover Crops, Herbs, and Cut Flowers for Pollination and Pest Management
2021-01-26 13:00 - 14:30 | Online
Join us for this webinar as we discuss which cover crops, herbs, and cut flowers best support pollinators, predators, parasitoids, and have extra value for culinary or ornamental use. Cover crops, herbs, and cut flowers provide forage and nesting sites for pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests (such as wasps, flies, and beetles). Learn which plants and management techniques best support pollinators, predators, and parasitoids, and have extra value for culinary or ornamental use.
Learn more here.

Opportunities with Silvopasture: More Than Just Animals in The Woods
2021-01-27 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Silvopasture is an agroforestry system that combines trees and forages with livestock management. Join us while we discuss the fundamentals of silvopasture and hear from landowners and professionals on their experiences in implementing silvopasture as a land management practice.
In addition, learn how to use a soil health kit and about soil health training programs available to farmers and agricultural professionals in and near 9 key element watersheds through the UW-Madison Division of Extension Conservation Professional Training program.
Register here.

Soil Health in Organic Tunnels
2021-01-27 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Speakers will describe the state of soils in high tunnels and some issues of concern. Participants will learn about soil health measures, the effects of soil disturbance, and interactions between nutrient management and cover crops.
Learn more here.

Regenerative Carbon Neutral Beef Production
2021-01-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The January Soil Health Digital Cafe will feature Dr. Jason Rowntree of Michigan State University. He is leading research on regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration using Adaptive Multi-paddock grazing. He is looking for answers to the current debate – do cattle help or hurt the environment. He will present five years of research evaluating various grazing systems compared to two different beef feeding systems in the upper Midwest.
Learn more here.

Precision Ag & Conservation: Approaches to Turn Red Acres Green
2021-01-27 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
Precision ag technology is used to make a variety of agronomic management decisions on farms. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever support agricultural producers by assisting them in understanding how their farm specific data can serve as a guide to identifying areas where management changes and conservation programs can improve the profitability of low-yielding areas.
Register here.

Profitability Strategies: Ask Your Soil Health Questions for 2021
2021-01-27 14:30 - 15:30 | Online
In this webinar, you can:

Ask a panel of industry experts your most pressing soil health questions from 2020
Hear their recap of key milestones since the start of the growing season
Learn more about the base offer of The Indigo Carbon Program, which can help you unlock new revenue streams through soil enrichment

Register here.

Reducing Health Impacts of the Nitrogen Problem – Workshop Series
2021-01-28 13:30 - 16:30 | Online
Nitrogen is a widely-used, essential input to crop production. In many regions of the United States, nitrogen from farms has leaked into drinking water and caused adverse health impacts. These health impacts include methemoglobinemia, a condition that inhibits the blood’s ability to carry oxygen around the body.
This workshop hosted by the Environmental Health Matters Initiative (EHMI) will explore what actions can be taken to address the nitrogen contamination problem in agriculture.
Workshop sessions will take place every Thursday from 2:30–5:30 PM (ET) from January 28 – February 25, 2021.
Register here.

Development of ACPF and Use by NRCS for Watershed Planning
2021-01-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
Nutrient and sediment losses from agricultural watersheds have impacts on aquatic and marine ecosystems of the U.S. Improving agricultural water quality requires planning and voluntary installation of new conservation practices through producer engagement. Practices must be selected and located to be effective based on a watershed assessment, and appropriate for each landscape and each individual farm operation. To help meet this challenge, ARS scientists in Ames, Iowa, have developed the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) to provide watershed databases and software tools that can be used to present realistic options for placement of conservation practices that can improve water quality outcomes. High-resolution data on land cover, soil survey, and topography are analyzed to identify a suite of conservation practice options to reduce impacts of runoff and subsurface tile drainage on water quality. This webinar will describe the ACPF and a current NRCS project aimed to facilitate evaluation of ACPF results for selected NWQI and CEAP watersheds in 15 states.
Learn more here.

Regenerative Gardening: Implementing Six Principles of Soil Heath to Improve Profits for Small-Scale Producers
2021-01-28 19:00 - 20:00 | Online
Before you start planning and ordering seeds for this year’s garden, be sure to tune in to this webinar featuring Brian Downing. During the webinar, Brian will share his practical insights on how gardeners and small-acreage farmers can apply the six principles of soil health to increase diversity, potentially integrate livestock, and grow cover crops under cash crops.
Register here.

Grazing Plans: Scheduling Facilitating Practices for Success
2021-02-01 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Jeff Duchene, NRCS Grazing Lands Specialist, will review the recommended order of installing facilitating practices for prescribed grazing. He will review example grazing plans and discuss the order practices will be installed based on information gathered from the producer during the conservation planning process, as well as logistical considerations of how practices may impact the installation of other practices.
Learn more here.

2021 Virtual CAFO Workshop
2021-02-02 09:30 - 11:30 | Online
Instead of 9 locations around the state, the 2021 workshops will be 1½ – 2 hours over four days, Feb 2-5, 2020, 9:30 am.
The Feb 2 session will focus on farms that are near permit size or thinking of expanding above the 1,000 animal unit threshold in the next few years. The Feb 3, 4, and 5 sessions are for farms that already have a permit, their consultants, and agency staff working with them.
Registration is $10 per person for one day or $20 per person for the entire series. A $5 per person late fee will be charges for registrations received after 11:59PM January 31st. Recordings of the sessions will be made available to those who register.
Hosted by UW Madison Division of Extension in collaboration with Wisconsin DNR, these workshops are designed for livestock operations near or at WPDES permit size (CAFOs) — owners/management and key staff, their agronomic and engineering consultants, and agency staff and others who work with these operations.
Register here.

Woodland Management by Objectives: Taking Stock and Making Plans
2021-02-02 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Before you can manage your woodlands, you have to have a good idea of what your land is like, what has been there before, and what you want to do with it. In this presentation, learn how you can assess your woods, including past land use, current conditions, and potential. Knowing what you have, will help you to explore what you can do with it, and determine your management objectives.
Learn more here.

Engineering Ethics for Professional Engineers
2021-02-02 13:00 - 14:30 | Online
This training will review and advance the PE’s knowledge and understanding of ethics engineering. The webinar will conclude with a quiz. 1 PDH will be awarded for those who complete both the live session and the quiz. Please contact Penny at Penny@wisconsinlandwater.org if you do not receive a confirmation email after registering.
Register here.

Virtual Shop Talks for Farmers - Resource Stewardship in Hard Times
2021-02-03 09:00 - 11:00 | Online
How can you make soil health and stewardship practices work in times of stress and uncertainty? This virtual Shop Talk series will be an opportunity to have meaningful conversations with other farmers and experts about practical ideas and programs that can help you weather hard times and have success with stewardship practices on your farm.
Learn more here.

Leading at the Edge - Advancing Edge of Field Practices
2021-02-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Join this webinar about the importance of accelerating the adoption of Edge of Field (EoF) practices to achieve an integrated, whole-farm approach to working lands conservation. Sustainability is becoming mainstream in agriculture, and real progress is being made improving the outcomes of crop production. But larger-scale changes are needed to meet greenhouse gas, water, and other sustainability goals. EoF practices like wetlands, saturated buffers, and drainage water management are conservation technologies that provide on-farm and downstream benefits to achieve sustainability goals. In this webinar, we will highlight the importance of edge of field practices, share insights from the collaborative process that developed the EoF Roadmap, and facilitate a discussion among industry leaders on how to scale up these important technologies to help transition to a more regenerative agricultural system.
Learn more here.

Agronomic and Economic Considerations for the Business Case of Adopting Soil Health Management
2021-02-09 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Information in this webinar is based on the potential soil health benefits of various alternatives to conventional tillage and associated production practices. Demonstrations presented will teach participants methods of comparing financial outcomes of adopting Soil Health Management Systems.
Learn more here.

Soil Health Expo: Rolling into Covers
2021-02-10 09:00 - 14:30 | Juneau Community Center, 500 Lincoln Drive, Juneau, WI, United States
Speaker Rick Clark uses no-till and cover crops in a 5 crop rotation on his Indiana farm. His goal is to build the soil health on his farm to the point that he doesn’t need to apply any herbicides or fertilizers. Speaker Dr. Erin Silva is an Associate Professor in the plant pathology Department at the UW. Her focus is on using cover crops to reduce herbicide use.
Learn more here.

Leveraging Covers and No-Till to Help You Remain Profitable
2021-02-10 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
David Trimner is the co-owner and general manager of Miltrim Farms, a 2,500 cow dairy farm, cropping 5000 acres in Athens, Wisconsin. He has a varied role within the farm, acting as a support to the different teams that make everything happen on the farm. The Miltrim Farms team has a passion for animals, healthy soil, and clean water. This is their daily adventure they call ‘Modern Agriculture.’ Join David and others to learn how they utilize cover crop mixtures and no-till to not only protect soil and water, but to maintain yield and profitability.
Register here.

Cover Crop Mixtures
2021-02-10 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
This webinar will discuss how and why to choose species of a cover crop mix and tools for deciding species and seeding rates. Topics discussed will also include how different cover crop species express themselves in a mix, fall vs spring growth, the importance of seeding date, and other management considerations. Practical considerations relevant to the mid-Atlantic region will be discussed.
Learn more here.

Wisconsin Cover Crop Conference
2021-02-10 19:00 - 2021-02-11 14:00 | Online
This year’s Wisconsin Cover Crop Conference may look a little different, but it will still bring you the valuable content you have come to expect from this conference.
Topics include moving forward through adversity, cover crops for weed management, growing small grains, and the economic and environmental benefits of rotational grazing.
Learn more here.

Regenerative Grazing: Fundamentals for Farmers
2021-02-11 09:00 - 10:30 | Online
REGENERATIVE GRAZING CAN BUILD HEALTHY SOILS AND SUPPORT FARM PROFITABILITY.
Are you,

a beef producer hoping to improve your environmental and economic outcomes?
a row crop farmer looking for a herd to graze your cover crops, or looking to add livestock into your rotation?
a landowner exploring additional revenue streams?

Then join for an interactive online series that will provide you with a broad understanding of the ins and outs of regenerative grazing. In this 3-part online series, you will learn from Kent Solberg of the Minnesota Sustainable Farming Association and local Illinois graziers as they provide their own experiences with regenerative grazing and explain the science to back it up.
Learn more here.

Farming for the Future: A Forum Exploring Ecosystem Markets
2021-02-12 11:30 - 13:30 | Online
Join us to explore different environmental and carbon market opportunities for Midwest farmers. This event brings four prominent carbon markets to one table, Indigo Ag, Nori, Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, and the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund, providing farmers a side-by-side comparison of opportunities. Presentations will walk the audience through the process of program enrollment from start to finish, highlighting key contract terms and conditions, payment schedules, and verification requirements.
Register here.

WDNR Targeted Runoff Management (TRM) Application
2021-02-18 09:00 - 10:30 | Online
The webinar offers an overview of the TRM Grant Program, with particular focus on the application for funds, including both large and small scale TRM projects, and TMDL and non-TMDL projects. The webinar will provide an overview of what’s changed since last year and review project eligibility filters and how to pro-rate eligible costs (when applicable).
Register here.

PFAS on Agricultural Operations
2021-02-19 13:30 - 14:30 | WI
Even though we may not realize it, use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a part of our everyday lives. These “forever” chemicals make up a family of over 4,000 human made compounds which have many beneficial properties such as repelling water, resisting heat and reducing friction. Since these chemicals are so persistent in the environment, they tend to accumulate over time. They can be found virtually everywhere from drinking water to plants and animals.
This webinar jointed hosted by NRCS and the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community (LPELC) will address PFAS in biosolids, soils, and manures. Biosolids have been land applied for decades and manures for centuries. Both have provided valuable nutrients for crop production and organics to help build soil tilth. Discussion will be centered around the potential impacts PFAS can have on agricultural production.
The webinar will take place Friday, February 19, 2021 at 1:30PM CT. Presenters include:

Dr. Linda Lee, Professor of Agronomy, Purdue University
Ned Beecher, Special Projects Manager, North East Biosolids and Residuals Association (NEBRA)

Registration is not required. Join the Webinar at the scheduled start time.

On-Farm Demonstration Approaches and Connections
2021-02-23 09:30 - 22:30 | Online
Setting up on-farm demonstrations can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be when you find the right fit for the project. We’ll talk about how to take an idea and make it into a full-blown project – from finding the right cooperator(s), to successfully implementing the demonstration site(s) and maximizing how that information is shared with others.
Learn more here.

Midwest Manure Summit
2021-02-24 09:00 - 15:15 | Online
The Midwest Manure Summit will feature leading researchers and industry
professionals discussing strategies and technologies to optimize manure management, upgrade biogas production, as well as effectively manage manure-derived nutrients and odor and gas emissions. Nationally recognized speakers will present on the following topics:

Addressing Manure Odors at the Source
Ammonia Capture for the Organic Market
Biochar and Manure Management
Biogas Upgrading
Feeding Strategies to Reduce Methane
I(AM)ResponsibleTM…and So Are You! Agriculture’s Role in Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance
Pelletizing Manure Solids
Reconnecting the Nutrient Cycle: Capture of Liquid Dairy Manure as Struvite and Its Use for Alfalfa Production
The Role of Manure Management to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Dairy Farms
Systems Modeling and Optimization for Organic Waste Management
Wet Gasification for a Dairy Farm

Learn more here.
