Meeker and Kandiyohi County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, University of Minnesota Extension, and the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition are hosting a soil health field day on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 from 4:30-7:00pm at the Jay Hedtke Farm: 53825 CSAH 16, Grove City, MN.

Join us to see how Jay incorporates no-till, interseeding of cover crops, incorporation of livestock, and small grains into his crop production operation. We will look at how different tillage implements impact soil disturbance and seedbed preparation. A comparison of infiltration rate and soil erosion using a rainfall simulator will also show differences between Jay’s soil health production system with a conventional system. Over time, reduced tillage and use of cover crops increases organic matter and improves soil aggregation and structure. Evidence has shown that every 1% increase in soil organic matter in a silt loam soil results in an increase of 0.4 inches of water holding capacity, meaning corn could go another 2 days before needing a rain event in a system with increased soil organic matter. Reducing soil erosion also keeps valuable topsoil and nutrients in our fields. 

We will focus on how to incorporate soil health practices with a practical agronomic lens and will feature local farmer expertise, UMN Extension Educators, SWCD, and Minnesota Soil Health Coalition staff. 

Regsiter for the event here:  https://extension.umn.edu/event/soil-health-field-day-0

Board of Managers Quorum Notice: Tuesday, August 13th, 2024

There may be a possible quorum of MFCRWD Board Managers at the Minnesota Soil Health Coalition's soil health field day being held at 53825 County Road 16, Grove City on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 starting at approximately 4:30 p.m. No official watershed district business will be discussed at the event. The general public is encouraged to attend the soil health field day. More information can be found at z.umn.edu/SoilHealthFieldDay or by calling 320-693- 7287 (ext. 3)