10th annual Farming Evolution 2024 coming to Holyoke this February

Make plans now to attend the 10th annual Farming Evolution event February 21- 22 in Holyoke. There will be a close look at fascinating information about the world of soil microbes and plants. Also on the topic list are wheat stem sawfly, grazing cover crops plus much more. As always, there will be several producers sharing their insights and experiences.

Dr. James White will give an intriguing presentation about the plant/microbe relationships. Microbes don’t just make nutrients available; they are physically consumed by plant roots! Then they are transported through the plant to specific cells which pull the needed nutrients. Plants even ‘farm’ needed microorganisms. Be prepared to set aside long held beliefs about how plants and soils interact! Dr. White is Professor of Plant Biology at Rutgers University. In 2023, he was ranked among the top Plant Science researchers in the nation.

What is the difference between climate and weather? Dannele Peck will explain this and why it matters. She’ll then address how one uses economic realities to make decisions about regenerative practices. How can soil health practices be evaluated from an economic perspective when planning to be resilient to climate and weather events? Dannele is an Economist and Director of the Northern Plains Climate Hub.

What cover crop species are best for grazing beef cattle and how often should cattle be rotated? Mary Drewnoski from Nebraska Extension will cover these questions and more. She is a part of a team evaluating Economical Systems for Integrated Crop and Livestock Production in Nebraska. Her focus is on the use of crop residues and cover crop forage for backgrounding calves and feeding beef cows.

Anyone growing wheat on the plains has heard of the wheat stem sawfly. Colorado State University’s Adam Osterholzer is one of the principle investigators of this pest. He will give an overview of the wheat stem sawfly biology and current management techniques. An emphasis will be placed upon how this pest and its associated management impacts on soil heath.

When he wants to find out what will work on a given field, South Dakota farmer Rick Bieber tries to take his cues from the natural world. In 33 years of no-tilling and 25 years of cover cropping, the soil organic matter has gone from 1.2 percent to 3.5 percent. Hailed as one of the world’s best soil farmers, Rick will give a dynamic and engaging talk. He’ll encourage attendees to be better soil stewards and more profitable.

Many farmers in the area have heard of the FARMS project. The Farmers Advancing Regenerative Management Systems is led by the Colorado Conservation Tillage Association. Meagan Schipanski will present an overview of the data gathered across working farms in the project. Meagan is the lead FARMS researcher at Colorado State University. Cooperating FARMS producers Curt Sayles (dryland) and Joel Grosbach (irrigated) will share their experiences with regenerative farming. More information about the FARMS project can be found at https://farmsproject.org.

Back by popular demand is Clinton Wilson, Director of Rocky Mountain Farmers Union’s Ag Well. Wilson asks thought provoking questions. Why does healthy soil matter? Can’t you just pump some synthetic fertilizer on it, till it a bit more, work it a bit harder, give it a little coffee, pull it up by the bootstraps and … ? What if we see ourselves as one of the four, five, six or maybe seven principles of soil health? If we want our soil to be healthy and well, what if it starts with healthy farmers? What if we take what the soil has taught us and apply it to ourselves? And what if there is one more principle that the soil is trying to teach us, that might just make all the difference?

Logan and Brianna Pribbeno moved back to Logan’s family’s ranch in 2012. Moving from California’s Silicon Valley to the High Plains of western Nebraska came with its own set of adjustments. Since they’ve moved back, they’ve focused on getting the most out of every acre. To achieve the goal, they use Management-Intensive Grazing and graze annual forage crops. Logan will share his journey to integrate livestock on the farm ground.

Registration is required by Feb. 9. Lunch, refreshments, and handouts are included. Learn more and register for Farming Evolution 2024 at http://www.farmingevolutions.com. Note the ‘s’ behind evolution, added to reflect the many ways farming is changing and to facilitate creating our own website.

Farming Evolutions 2024 is being hosted and sponsored by the Haxtun, Morgan, Yuma and West Greeley Conservation Districts and the Upper Republican Natural Resource District. Support by Arrow Seeds, High Plains Land Conservancy, the Colorado State Conservation Board, Colorado Association of Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service help make this event possible.