Conservation Cropping Seminar

Conservation Cropping Seminars are back by popular demand and one of the events will be held in Sycamore this Tuesday, January 27, 2015. Local agricultural producers and resource experts will share information and insights on practical soil health improvement options, cover crop success as well as wise nutrient management techniques.

Farmers won’t want to miss this event at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Building. Schedule for the day includes sessions and speakers from 8:30 a.m. to noon, with lunch and more speakers until 3:30 p.m.

Speakers include: Russ Higgins, U of I Extension; “Resource Conservation Partnership Program” by Mike Rahe, IL Department of Agriculture; “Nutrient Utilization – Using BMPs, and Cover Crops” by Dr. Shalamar Armstrong, ISU and local farmer; “Conservation Cropping Systems” by Clay Mitchell, IA farmer; “Herbicide Management & Cover Crops” by Gordon Roskamp, IL Central College; “Systems for Soil Health” by Dr. Eileen Kladivko, Purdue University; “Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy, What & Why Now?” by Lauren Lurkins, IL Farm Bureau; “Basics of Successful Cover Crops” by Hans Kok, soil health consultant, IN; and a farmer panel discussion.

“We are pleased to work with conservation partners and sponsors for another year to bring a new series of seminars to this northern Illinois location,” said Joe Bybee, local coordinator and with the Illinois Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Soil and Water.

The seminars are sponsored by Illinois Department of Agriculture, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, American Farmland Trust, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, the Illinois Council on Best Management Practices, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, DeKalb County Farm Bureau and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts. To register for the Jan. 27 seminar in Sycamore, visit this page.