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North Manchester, IN - The Wabash County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative will host a free Manure Management Field Day on July 29th at Brubaker Farms. The half-day program will address application technology and nutrient management
as well as the ways in which manure management relates to conservation and soil health.
 | | Annual Ryegrass / Oilseed Radish After Manure Application. This image clearly shows cover crops' ability to capture and store nutrients. Photo credit: Barry Fisher, NRCS |
"We as farmers are responsible for
stewardship of the resources that are available to us. Every acre we farm contains thousands of pounds of nutrients essential to growing the crops that we are accustomed to. The world demand for more and more food will require us to become more efficient with the application of commercial fertilizers and animal waste products that we heavily depend on in this area," said Kevin Cordes, a Wabash County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor.
Cordes spoke highly of the event saying, "There are innovative ideas and new technology available to us that will help us achieve the goals of enhancing soil health and decreasing the amount of pollutants leaving our farms and entering the streams and rivers. The Manure Management Field Day is a great opportunity to learn about these ideas and see them demonstrated."
Among the presenters that day will be Jerry Sweeten, an associate professor of biology and Director of Environmental Studies at Manchester University. Sweeten has been deeply involved in working with landowners and agribusiness in Kosciusko, Wabash, and Miami counties to reduce phosphorus, nitrogen, and soil runoff. He will give a presentation on the impact of manure on water quality.
Another speaker will be Melissa Lehman, owner of Agronomic Solutions, LLC, a consulting company that works with farmers on soil health, efficient manure use, and navigating government regulations of manure use. Lehman will speak about nutrient management of both dry and liquid manure.
In addition to speakers, a variety of application equipment will be on display and running demonstrations. The Manure Management Field Day is from 8:30 am - 12 pm EST on the 29th, with check-in beginning at 8 am. The event is free to attend, but registration is requested by July 22 to ensure adequate seating and refreshments. Registration can be completed online at www.ManureMgmt14.eventbrite.com or by calling the Wabash County SWCD at (260) 563-7486, ext. 3. A full event agenda, as well as a map of the event location is available at the online registration site.
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