Ag Consulting Trainings

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
 
“Professional ag consultants will learn what they need to provide one more service to the farmers they advise. Recognizing where a conservation practice would be a good fit, and charting a course for putting it into use, is a real value to their clients. Not every CCA or retail agronomist is interested in writing elaborate conservation plans, but these are the people farmers turn to first for advice. They’re the right group to show farmers how they can benefit from conservation,”
Mike Smith, CTIC project director.
 
 
 


Practical Conservation Planning in the Field

August 22-23, 2017
Stuttgart Public Library
Stuttgard, Arkansas
Ph: 870-673-1966
 
The workshop is free, however, registration is required.

Workshop Agenda

Tuesday August 22

1:00 to 4:30 PM—Stuttgart Public Library
 
Topics of discussion
  • Identify symptoms suggesting need for conservation - Mike Taylor, Farmer (30 min)
  • Selecting right practices - John Lee, NRCS (90 min)
  • Resources for technical support - Keith Scoggins, NRCS
  • Selecting a contractor - Keith Scoggins, NRCS
  • Arkansas’ nutrient reduction strategy and how practices covered by this training protect water quality - Ken Brazil, Arkansas Natural Resources Commission (15-30 min)
 

Wednesday August 23

8:00 AM—Check-in, coffee and donuts at Stuttgart Public Library
 
8:30 AM—Bus departs for Terry Dabbs’ farm
 
Outdoors on the farm
  • Discovery Farms: Water quality monitoring as a driver of voluntary conservation adoption - Mike Daniels, Arkansas Discovery Farms (30 mins.)
  • Dabbs Farm: Conservation practices used on the farm including a tail water recovery system and conservation tillage, experience with adopting them, and on-farm benefits - Terry Dabbs, Farmer & Michele Reba, ARS (75-90 min)
 
12:00 PM ~ (boxed lunch provided @ the farm)
Return to Stuttgart Public Library around noon
 
Topics of discussion
  • The Stevens Farm: Precision irrigation and its place in a practical system. Impacts on productivity and water quality, including results of on-farm water quality monitoring - Steve Stevens, Farmer & Mike Daniels, Arkansas Discovery Farms (75-90 min)
  • Lunch (45 min)
  • Tailwater recover systems and surface reservoirs - Michele Reba, ARS (60-90 min)
  • Making changes to improve the land: Challenges and benefits of a systems approach. AR Soil Health Alliance - Mike Taylor (30-45 min)
 
4:30 PM—Conclude
 
 

Target Audience

In addition to the memberships of project partners, CTIC will design the workshops with the following groups in mind:
 
  • Agricultural retailers 
  • Certified Crop Advisors (CCAs)
  • Land Improvement Contractors of America (LICA)
  • Members of Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC)     
  • National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC)
  • NRCS Technical Service Providers (TSPs)
  • Soil and Water Conservation District staff and engineers
 

About the Project

Through a collaborative agreement with the US EPA, CTIC will provide leadership and technical support to successfully plan, organize, coordinate, evaluate and share information from five workshops held between 2015 and 2020.
 
These workshops will provide attendees the foundation to target, design, and implement conservation practices for their clients. Practices covered will include in-field nutrient management, drainage water management systems, bioreactors, saturated buffers and more. CTIC will host specific practice summaries and other materials that will help this project’s target audience.
 
In addition to the US EPA’s assistance, the following partners ensure that these workshops provide value to and are well attended by their membership:
 
  • Agri Drain Corp.
  • Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC)
  • Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA)
  • The American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America

Projects
Back