A Soil Health Road Show has been scheduled for June 12-13, with events being held in four different locations throughout central and eastern South Dakota. Each event will feature nationally-recognized soil health speaker Ray Archuleta as well as additional soil health specialists from the state and region. Archuleta is a farmer from Seymour, Missouri, who teaches Biomimicry Strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil health nationwide. He has over 30 years of work experience as a soil conservationist, water quality specialist, and conservation agronomist with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The road show begins on June 12, with a bus tour in Moody County from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stops will be made in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, and Pipestone, Minnesota, with soil and equipment demonstrations to be included as well as lunch and a producer panel. Beginning at 5 p.m. the same day will be an event at the Spink County 4-H Facility. This event will include a meal followed by a presentation by Archuleta which will cover topics such as soil biology, the benefits of diverse crop rotations and cover crops. The first event the following day, June 13, will be held at Dakota Lakes Research Farm and feature a farm tour and speakers Dwayne Beck, Cody Zilverberg, Jose Guzman and Ray Archuleta. Topics covered during the farm tour will include the importance of proper crop rotation techniques and their benefits, phosphate fertility associated with long-term use of no-till, the importance of understanding the carbon to nitrogen ratios in crop and cover crop selections, as well livestock integration into cropland.
The fourth and final event of the Soil Health Road Show will begin at 6 p.m. in Tripp County at St. Mary’s Hall. Speakers Bryan Jorgensen and Ray Archuleta will present sessions on the benefits of diverse crop rotations and cover crops as well as a discussion on carbon to nitrogen ratios. Attend an event near you to learn how you can work to improve your soil health this season and for years to come.
For full event details and flyers for each event please visit our website www.sdsoilhealthcoalition.org/events or contact Cindy Zenk, SDSHC coordinator, at 605-280-4190 or [email protected].