Bad weather, better profits: Farmer and landowner practices for 21st century demands

Owatonna Workshop on Jan. 25 to Help Farmers/Landowners with Tools for a  Wetter World

​Farmers, landowners, and anglers can learn how to buck the damage to soil and water during a program Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 being hosted by the Izaak Walton League’s (Ikes) Owatonna chapter and Upper Mississippi River Initiative (UMRI). The workshop begins with registration at 9 a.m. at the Albert F. Reding Environmental Education Center (1546 58th St. SW, Owatonna) and runs until 1:30 p.m. Please RSVP for lunch to Gary Schwartz, [email protected]. A $5 donation will help offset the cost of the meal.

Speakers include Southeast Minnesota cover crop farmers Tom Cotter and Myron Sylling, George Boody of the Land Stewardship Project (LSP), and Adam Arndt and Kelly Burke of Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), respectively. 
 
“This whole thing is about improving soil and cutting back on erosion,” said Randy Schroht, an Ikes member and area farmer. Speakers will address why no-till fields need cover crops to battle erosion, how to strike a better deal for conservation in rental agreements, the role of livestock, 260-bushel corn, and how soil health pays the bills.
 
Land Stewardship Project is a sponsor along with University of Minnesota Extension, League of Women Voters/Upper Mississippi River Region Region-Interleague Organization, and the Cannon River Watershed Partnership.
 
For more information on the UMRI, please see http://umrinitiative.org/about/.
 

Photo MPR News June 17, 2014