NEWS from CCSI / For Release on Monday, June 2, 2014

For more information, contact:

Lisa Holscher, soil health program manager

CCSI Contacts:

Hans Kok, Coordinator

Dan Towery, Assistant Coordinator

Barry Fisher, NRCS State Soil Health Specialist

Lisa Holscher, Soil Health Program Manager

ccsi@iaswcd.org

CCSI Partners:

Soil Cover

Soil cover

corn in cover crop

Corn stubble in cover crops

No-till beans

"Leveraging Irrigation to Improve Soil Health" event offers educational opportunities for commodity and specialty crop growers

Indianapolis - On July 8th, farmers, agronomists and others interested in soil health improvement will have an opportunity to attend a Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative (CCSI) field day at Villwock Farms in Knox County. "Leveraging Irrigation to Improve Soil Health" will focus on both soil health impacts and use of irrigation in soil health systems. The July 8th event will provide commodity and specialty crop growers with a unique opportunity to learn from industry experts.

Don Villwock is hosting "Leveraging Irrigation for Soil Health" at his Knox County farm on July 8.

Don Villwock, field day host and one of twelve CCSI farmers, focuses on protecting his soil from erosion, improving water quality and soil health, reducing costs and increasing yields. Villwock is a no-till farmer who produces white corn, soybeans, seed soybeans and seed wheat. A former Supervisor for the Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District, he now serves as President of Indiana Farm Bureau and Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.

Presentations will include:

On-Farm Research and Variable Rate Irrigation Trials with Dan Emmert, DuPont Pioneer
Indiana Water Rules: Now and Expected with Justin Schneider, Indiana Farm Bureau
Use of Irrigation in Soil Health Systems with Barry Fisher, NRCS
A Demonstration of Field Scouting with Drones by Precision Hawk
Management Zones and Soil Moisture Sensors for Variable Rate Irrigation and Fertigation with Tanner Oliphant, CropMetrics
On-the Ground Irrigation Efficiency Assessments and Water Infiltration

CCSI Soil Health Program Manager Lisa Holscher says, "It's not a big leap to understand how improved soil health can help with irrigation management strategies: improved soil health can lead to improved water infiltration and improved water holding capacity - two big plusses in an irrigated field.

"On the other side of the coin, we can use irrigation systems to take soil health strategies a step further: We can give the field a quick drink to get cover crops up and growing. We can also use variable rate systems to put water and nutrients on when and where our crops need them."

The cost to attend "Leveraging Irrigation to Improve Soil Health" is $10. Continuing Education Credits for Certified Crop Advisors have been requested. Registration is required by June 24 and may be completed online at www.VillwockFieldDay.eventbrite.com or by calling the Knox County Soil and Water Conservation District at 812-882-8210 x3.

The field day is presented as a project of the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative. Additional event partners include the
Knox County SWCD, Indiana Farm Bureau, Ceres Solutions, and

Dupont Pioneer.

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