NRCS Holding Free Soil Health Workshops this Month

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USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service

Mar 06, 2014, 12:17 ET

DAVIS, Calif., March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Soil health is a journey to understand how to mimic nature," says Ray 'the-Soil-Guy' Archuleta, a conservationist and soil health instructor with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Farmers and anyone who wants to understand how to build more naturally fertile soil that also absorbs rainfall while requiring fewer inputs to produce a profitable crop, are invited to attend any of the four free seminars.

The workshops will be conducted by teams of agronomists and soil scientists who work with Archuleta, and will be joined by Dennis Chessman NRCS State Agronomist for California.

Workshops will be held from 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. at these locations and dates:

Tuesday, March 18, in Hanford
USDA Service Center, 680 Campus Dr., Suite E (559) 584-9209

Wednesday, March 19, in Riverside
USDA Building B, 4500 Glenwood Drive (951) 684-3722

Thursday, March 20, in Davis
USDA State Office, 430 G St. (530) 792-5642

Thursday, March 20, in Indio
USDA Service Center, 82-901 Bliss Ave., (760) 347-3675

Participants will discuss soil health planning principles and management systems, indicators to help you track the health of your soil, and the role of soil health in resource management. Case studies will be presented, covering methods that improve soil resiliency, nutrient cycling, organic matter accumulation, water holding capacity, plant yields and profits.

"This is a good opportunity to gain a further appreciation of the positive impact that healthy soils can have on farms and on our landscape," says Chessman.

For more information about a specific workshop, please contact the NRCS office hosting the event.

SOURCE USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service