Registration Is Open for CTIC Conservation in Action Tour!
The "Conservation At The Leading Edge" tour will visit farms, New Century FS, and demonstration sites August 20-21
The Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) launched online registrations today for its 12th annual Conservation in Action Tour, which will explore conservation systems in central Iowa.
The program will begin the afternoon of August 20, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa, with a keynote speaker and cocktail reception. August 21 will be spent in the field visiting farms, demonstration plots, research trials and an ag retail site for a comprehensive look at how Iowa farmers are using a wide range of conservation farming systems to achieve the goals of the state's Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
Unique Networking Opportunity
The tour is expected to draw more than 200 farmers, crop consultants, conservation specialists, scientists, agribusiness leaders, policy makers and non-profit organization staffers from across the country.
"The Conservation in Action Tour format provides a unique opportunity not only to see conservation practices at work in real-world conditions, but to share that experience with people you ordinarily wouldn't have an opportunity to bring together," notes Peyton Harper of The Fertilizer Institute, a board member of CTIC and co-chair of the tour planning committee. "You can find yourself sitting with the marketing manager of a multinational agrichemical company, a farmer, a university professor and an EPA official talking about what you're seeing on the ground. It's a remarkable experience."
Tim Palmer, an Iowa farmer who serves as president of the National Association of Conservation Districts and co-chair of CTIC's tour planning committee, adds, "I've made friends on these tours that I still keep in contact with."
Wide Range of Speakers
At the tour stops, the group will gather perspectives from farmers, conservation planners, crop consultants, drainage experts and researchers. Stops will include:
- Couser Cattle Company in Nevada. The Cousers are pioneers in corn stover harvest and utilization, manure management and precision application of inputs. They will also describe their 220-acre AGvocacy Learning Farm project.
- New Century FS Melbourne Service Center. Facility manager Dan Hart and his team will open their state-of-the-art plant for a look at commercial-scale management of fertilizer, seed treatments and other inputs. The FS team will also provide an exploration of the role of Certified Crop Advisors in implementing conservation and production goals.
- LICA Demonstration Farm, Melbourne. The tour will visit the 80-acre home of a wide range of constructed conservation systems for an up-close look at many in-field and edge-of-field practices that protect water quality and build healthy soils.
- Tesdell Century Farm, Slater. This fifth-generation farm is home to an installation of prairie strips, which Lee Tesdell and Iowa State University researchers use to study and demonstrate the power of plant diversity in building soils and habitat on the farm.
The tour also includes lunch at New Century FS and dinner and a keynote speaker at Jester Park Lodge in Granger, Iowa.
Register Now
Online registration for the tour is quick and easy at https://www.ctic.org/cia_tour/registration. The $175 registration fee includes transportation, stops and all meals. Visitors may also register by calling CTIC at (765) 494-9555.
A limited number of rooms are being held in a Conservation in Action Tour reservation block at the Embassy Suites Downtown in Des Moines at the special rate of $129 per night for August 20 and 21. The registration web page includes a link for online booking of rooms at the discount rate.
Sponsors of the 2019 Conservation in Action Tour include Diamond sponsors The Mosaic Company, Bayer CropScience and Syngenta; Platinum sponsor The Fertilizer Institute; Gold sponsor Nutrien; Silver sponsors Certified Crop Advisors, Field to Market, JR Simplot and The Nature Conservancy; Copper sponsor Sand County Foundation; and Social Event sponsor John Deere. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available: contact Crystal Hatfield at hatfield@ctic.org or (765) 494-9555 for more information.
Details on the tour are online at ctic.org/cia_tour/Overview.
