September field day in Hillsdale County features nutrient management and conservation practices
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EmailA field day for livestock producers and field crop farmers who utilize commercial fertilizer or manure in their crop nutrient program.
The Hillsdale Conservation District and the Hillsdale County Farm Bureau will host a field day on Sept. 10, 2015, for livestock producers and field crop farmers who utilize inputs, such as commercial fertilizer or manure, in their crop nutrient program. This event will feature demonstrations and discussions on technologies and conservation practices that help keep nutrients in the field, in the crop root zone and out of surface waters. The Hillsdale County Nutrient Management Field Day is hosted by Jay and Kelli Williams of Stoney Ridge Farms, a Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) verified farm, at 14031 Broom Rd, Waldron, MI 49288, located a half mile west of U.S. 127. The field day will begin with registration at 7:30 a.m. with sessions starting at 8 a.m. and wrapping up by 1:30 p.m. There is no registration fee and a cook-out style lunch will be provided. Please be sure to pre-register for this event by contacting the Hillsdale Conservation District at 517-849-9890 Ext. 3 or hillsdalecd@macd.org.
The Hillsdale County Nutrient Management Field Day event promises to be a very informative and interactive day. The event will provide participants the opportunity to see firsthand conservation practices that could be implemented on farms throughout Michigan, time to network with fellow producers and learn from agency staff, Extension educators and more.
The topics featured throughout this field day event include:
- Dig deeper into soil health as we evaluate two soil pits with keynote speaker Barry Fisher, USDA NRCS Indiana State Soil Health Specialist.
- Learn more about drainage water management with Paul Sweeney from Ecosystem Services Exchange.
- Walk a cover crop test plot with Isaac Weber, Center Seeds.
- Join Michigan State University Extension educator, Marilyn Thelen, in a demonstration with the rainfall simulator.
- Discuss conservation practices and cost share opportunities with Jason Wheeler, NRCS, and Laura Campbell, Michigan Farm Bureau.
There will also be an opportunity to learn about the farmer-led Hillsdale County Tile Drainage Water Quality Monitoring Project taking place within the Western Lake Erie Basin. The purpose of the project is to:
- Develop a multi-year database covering different crop rotations, tillage practices, fertilizer and manure applications, etc. and
- Educate producers in the area on the importance of tile monitoring and how to take samples from their own fields. There will be a review and discussion of the samples taken from three different tiled crop fields. Join in on the discussions of the results and observations from the project, as well as the lessons learned in the field.
The Hillsdale County Nutrient Management Field Day is a MAEAP Phase 1 event with Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) credits pending. Join us for an interactive and educational event. For more information or to RSVP contact the Hillsdale Conservation District at 517-849-9890 Ext. 3 or hillsdalecd@macd.org.
