Eco-Ag U

Foundations and Advances in Biological Farming

John Kempf, Advancing Eco-Agriculture

Monday, December 6

In this workshop, John Kempf will describe the principles and science of regenerative farming ecosystems that harness much more of the energy coming into the system, and produce Olympic athlete-level performance. When a truly regenerative ecosystem is functioning well, the need of external inputs becomes less and less.

In order to develop regenerative agriculture eco-systems in which soil health is quickly regenerated, crop yields and quality constantly improve, pest pressure becomes less of a challenge, and crops are much more resilient to climate extremes, we simply need to implement what is already known. With these farming strategies we can increase soil and crop performance by several levels of magnitude and reduce the need for external inputs. Register here.

Managing Mineral Nutrition & Plant Disease to Create Resilient Crops

Dr. Don Huber, Professor Emeritus, Purdue University

World-famous speaker, author and soil scientist Dr. Don Huber will address critical soil management techniques involving mineral nutrition, and how balancing the right minerals in your soil will help decrease disease pressure, among other many benefits. Go deep with Dr. Huber as he explores both primary minerals, and the secondary minerals that really drive crop health. This session will be perfect for anyone who is looking for specific soil health techniques, is trying to crack the case on common plant diseases, and/or is in need of an advanced education on soil minerals. Register here.

Successful Soil Health Management, Diagnostics, & Triage

Nicole Masters, Integrity Soils

Monday, December 6

Agroecologist Nicole Masters will walk through the 5 M’s of successful soil health management – Mindset, Management, Minerals, Microbes and organic Matter, show workshop attendees how identify the biggest drag on their operation, and help them to identify the most critical point to leverage for the biggest impact. Register here.

Designing and Building a Successful Permaculture Operation

Mark Shepard, Farming Consultant

Tuesday, December 7

Mark Shepard is the author of the books Restoration Agriculture and Water for Any Farm. He and his family have transformed a typical 140-acre row-crop dairy farm into a permaculture-based perennial-agricultural ecosystem using oak savannah, successional brushland and Eastern woodlands as ecological models. In all, they have planted 100,000 trees on this property. The result is one of the first and finest farm-scale models of permaculture in the United States. New Forest Farm features chestnut, hazelnut and fruit trees, a variety of other fruits and vegetables, chickens, ducks, pigs and other animals. Register here.