The Ottawa & Allegan Conservation Districts, in partnership with the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, are hosting Cultivating Resilience ~ 2019 Farm Field Day, 8:30 am – 2:00 pm, Thursday, September 5, at Smallegan Farms, 1663 48th Ave, Hudsonville.

The Cultivating Resilience Farm Field Day will highlight strategies and innovations to assist farmers in weathering uncertain seasons, meeting increasing industry regulation, and responding to increasingly erratic weather patterns. Noted national and Michigan-area farmers and industry experts will share their knowledge and personal experience with climate smart agriculture, cover crops, no-till farming, and soil health improvement.

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Cultivating Resilience Farm Field Day is a free event and includes a complimentary picnic-style lunch. A prize drawing will be held at the end of the event. 4 RUP credits and MAEAP Phase 1 credits will be available for producers.

AGENDA

8:30 am ~ Registration
9:00 am ~ Welcome & Introductions
9:30 am ~ Presentation: Economical Cover Cropping with Fred Yoder
10:15 am ~ Break
10:30 am ~ Break-out Sessions with Guest Speakers (25 mins)

• Weeds as Indicators of Soil Health with Joe Scrimger, Bio-Systems
• The Journey to True No-Till with Jerry Grigar, NRCS
• Soil Health with Christina Curell, MSU Extension

12:00 pm ~ Enjoy a free, homestyle lunch featuring local foods including pork sandwiches, farm-fresh salads, and a fresh blueberry dessert.
12:45 pm ~ Presentation: What is Climate Smart Agriculture with Fred Yoder
1:00 pm ~ Prize Drawings
1:15 pm ~ Presentations: Ag Community Relief and AgrAbility
1:30 pm ~ New & Emerging Technology Demonstrations including Rainfall Simulator & the latest Farm Equipment

Cultivating Resilience Farm Field Day will feature keynote speaker Fred Yoder, a fourth-generation farmer & past president of the National Corn Growers Association.

Featured speakers include:

• Joe Scrimger, a Michigan farmer, addressing how common weeds can reveal what’s going on in the soil beneath our feet.
• Christina Curell,  the MSU Extension statewide cover crops and soil health educator, reviewing soil health issues.
• Jerry Grigar, an NRCS State Agronomist, talking about soil compaction, transitional no-till, and how improving soil health can reduce the uncertainty of spring planting.

Read more about our speakers here.