Soil Regen expects up to 800 farmers and other soil-health advocates at their 2022 “Big Soil Event” right here in Cedar Falls, home of our family firm, Renewable Farming LLC. We manufacture WakeUP, a plant-based surfactant/penetrant which we’ve shown since 2008 as a highly effective way to amplify foliar and in-furrow crop nutrition.
Here are the links you can follow for the detailed list of speakers, the agenda, and registration details:
You’ll see the home page of Soil Regen at the link just below. Clicking on the nav tab BIG SOIL HEALTH EVENT in the top line leads you to tabs which open the agenda, a full list of speakers and their bios, and to a registration page. https://www.agsoilregen.com
Our Renewable Farming family knows most of the speakers, and we’ve relied on them for several years of reporting ways of improving soil health. One “Dean” of improving soil productivity with low-cost natural means such as covers and rotations is Dr. Jerry Hatfield. Please read his updated bio under the link shown in boldface above. I recall walking through a soybean field with Dr. Hatfield several years ago when the 30-inch-row beans were hip-high. He noted that “About 40% of the total mass in soybeans comes from carbon dioxide exuded by soil organisms.” The resonated with me. Robust soil microbial life generates an essential crop nutrient, and the more the better.
A key organizer among the speakers is Mitchell Hora, a 7th generation Iowa farmer and the Founder/CEO of Continuum Ag. His farm has stressed the importance of no-till since 1978 and has become a hub for innovation in the adoption of diverse cover crops, interseeded covers, relay cropping, small grains, and other soil health practices. Mitchell started Continuum Ag while attending Iowa State and has built its footprint in 40 states and 15 countries.
I’ve heard Mitch speak at several farmer conferences, and admire his innovative, farmer-friendly concepts. He’s the originator of the “soil your shorts” idea —burying new cotton shorts in your field to see which biological practices decompose that cellulose the fastest.
I knew Liz Haney is the wife of Rick Haney, developer of the widely used Haney Soil Test—an indicator of soil health. But I hadn’t realized Liz marshals the details of these big soil health conferences. Liz is a soil and ecosystem scientist with experience in soil testing and analyses, carbon and conservation practice modeling, and is the co-developer of the Haney soil health test. Throughout her career she has developed an expansive network of scientists, thought leaders, consultants, farmers and ranchers within the sustainable agriculture space. Liz loves nothing more than creating community and is skilled at coordinating and conducting educational events, workshops and conferences. Liz is also a co-owner of Soil Regen.
