The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) will host a Nebraska Soil Health School, sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), on Wednesday, April 24, at UNL’s High Plains Ag Lab (HPAL), 3257 Rd. 109, Sidney.
Registration and refreshments will begin at 7:30 a.m., followed by a welcome from the event’s organizer, Bijesh Maharjan, UNL associate professor.
7:30 Registration and Refreshments
8:15-8:20 Welcome from Bijesh Maharjan, Associate Professor of Soil and Nutrient Management
8:20-8:30 Address by NRCS State Conservationist
8:30-9:20 Soil Health – Byproduct of improved soil and crop management practices: Gary Peterson, CSU Professor Emeritus
9:20-9:30 Discussion/Break
9:30-10:20 Impact of tillage, biochar, and cover crops on soils at the High Plains Ag Lab: Cody Creech, UNL Associate Professor and Fenster Professor of Dryland Agriculture
10:20-10:30 Discussion/Break
10:30-11:20 Soil health measurement and carbon market: Bijesh Maharjan, UNL Associate Professor and Jessica Groskopf, UNL Extension Educator Economics
11:20-11:30 Discussion/Break
11:30-12:20 Impacts of tillage systems, crop residues, and cover crops on soil water and yield in semi-arid dryland systems: David Nielsen, Retired USDA-ARS Research Agronomist
12:20-12:30 Discussion
12:30-1:30 Lunch
1:30-2:30 NRCS Soil Health Demonstrations and Live Rainfall Simulator: Carlos Villarreal, USDA-NRCS State Soil Scientist and Riley Hackbart, Soil Scientist, USDA-NRCS
2:30-4:00 Research Plot Tours
For more information or questions, email nheldt@unl.edu or call (308) 632-1230
Register here