On July 20th Discovery Farms Minnesota and Chisago County SWCD will host a free farm field day featuring a farm with a long history of no-till practices. This event will allow farmers with similar challenges and concerns to connect and discuss water quality, tillage equipment, and other farm management practices.
Attendees will visit Spring Creek Farms, a corn and soybean operation in Chisago County. John and Jewell, farmer-owners, have been using no-till on their farm for the past 20 years. Spring Creek Farms has been a Discovery Farms cooperator for the past six years. During this time, they have kept their average annual soil loss to a remarkable 84 lbs/acre. Learn about what they are doing to keep losses so low and how they are working to minimize dissolved phosphorus loss. You’ll see the equipment used to monitor water quality, the field monitored, and can take an in-depth look at the soils.
This will also be a collaborative effort with Wisconsin Discovery Farms staff and participants with discussions about monitoring results and farming strategies that work for water quality. Hear about water quality monitoring results from Spring Creek Farms and Wisconsin’s work with farmers in St. Croix County on nitrogen use efficiency and water quality monitoring.
This is a great opportunity for farmers with questions about what tillage options are feasible under the specific challenging conditions of this area. There will be ample time to discuss equipment and management strategies while enjoying an evening meal and touring the farm.
The field day is free of charge but reservations are required by July 15th. The field day will be held at 38157 Oriole Ave, North Branch, MN and will start at 5 PM with and evening meal at 6 PM. To reserve your spot call 608.443.6587 or email radatz@mawrc.org.
- Lessons Learned from Schafer Farms – Implementing Conservation in a Rolling Landscape - April 8, 2020
- What happened to spring? - July 15, 2019
- Tile flow and nutrient movement in Northwest Minnesota - September 13, 2018