PASA’s 2nd Annual Soil Health Conference
Growing healthy soils begins with keeping fields covered with living vegetation and continually adding organic matter into the soil. At PASA’s 2nd Annual Soil Health Summer Conference (July 28-29, Centre Hall PA) we will explore techniques to grow soil health by increasing the periods of the year that farm fields are populated by living roots. This event will feature leading no-till farmer and cover crop-innovator Steve Groff (Cover Crop Coaching), as well as a team of soil health experts and knowledgeable sponsors. PASA’s Summer Conference will offer practical soil health insights for both experienced and beginning farmers, with particular relevance for diversified vegetable and dairy farmers.
| Thursday (July 28th) evening’s program will provide a detailed introduction into soil testing and soil health assessment. PSU soil scientist John Spargo will review the range of soil testing options available today and offer advice on how to interpret different indicators and results. Steve will show how he incorporates soil health assessment into management decisions on his Lancaster County row crop and vegetable farm. Thursday registration includes a catered dinner and participants are encouraged to bring a soil test from their farms and troubleshoot the results with John and Steve. | Friday’s (July 29th) full-day program will feature a farm tour of a local Organic Valley dairy farm where owner Ben Stoltzfus maintains soil health through rotating perennial pastures and annual crops. Following a catered lunch and a keynote presentation by Steve (“Cover Crop Strategies for Maximizing Soil Health”), the program concludes Friday afternoon with breakout sessions that go in-depth into topics including cover crop and forage variety selection, cover crop termination and establishment, and using cover crops for pest and disease management. Experts from Penn State University, Seedway, Kings AgriSeeds, and Cover Crop Coaching will facilitate discussion among participants and troubleshoot detailed questions on a range of practical soil health challenges. |
Cost
Friday $60 Members
Friday $75 Non-members
Friday $0 Approved Scholarship Recipients
Thursday Add-on $25 per person