By Julie Tomascik
Editor
A soil health symposium will be held next month to focus on integrated cropping systems to farmers and ranchers improve soil health and profitability.
The two-day symposium is set for Feb. 13-14 at the Bayer Museum of Agriculture in Lubbock. It will be hosted by No-Till Texas, a relatively new non-profit organization that promotes advocacy of soil health issues in the state.
“We believe soil health is the next frontier with conservation,” R.N. Hopper, president of No-Till Texas, said.
Ray Archuleta, who teaches soil health and the principles of agroecology throughout the country, will be the keynote speaker.
Hopper, who also farms in the Panhandle, will be among the speakers for the event. Fellow farmers Jeremy Brown and Kelly Kettner will also present at the symposium, sharing insight into their experiences with no-till farming.
“It’s a great opportunity for farmers to learn about how we can steward the land better. It all begins with the soil,” Brown said. “We have some great speakers coming, and I encourage all farmers and ranchers to register.”
Other speakers will be on the agenda to address soil health and no-till farming practices.
“We welcome anyone that’s interested in agriculture,” Hopper said. “But what we want to promote is soil health for our region of Texas.”
Soil health, Hopper said, could be improved. He hopes attendees take away valuable information to improve their farms and ranches.
“Over the years, most of the education and outreach in our area has been aimed at irrigation—improving efficiency of irrigation and irrigation systems. Soil health is really a huge part of that, because it’s all interrelated and interconnected,” Hopper said. “You can’t be efficient with the rainfall that you try to harvest or the irrigation that you may try to apply if you don’t have a good, healthy soil with good infiltration and good characteristics and properties.”
The cost of the symposium is $50, which includes meals. Registration for the event is limited.
To register, contact the Texas Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. You can also contact Tamara Daniel, executive director of No-Till Texas, at 254-778-8741 or by email at tamaradaniel@thegateway.net for a registration form.