The rich, dense soils of Michigan's Great Southwest are the backbone to the fruit belt region that delivers an amazing array of seasonal goodness in the farm to table movement so popular among foodies and anyone working to develop healthy eating habits. So it is critical that the future farmers among us doing everything possible to sustain and grow upon that heritage. A major conference in Van Buren County late this month has that goal directly in mind.
A Farming for the Future Conference is slated for March 29th in Lawrence. The focus is "Building Soil Fertility for Production & Profitability."
Neal Kinsey is a soil fertility specialist with Kinsey Ag Services in Charleston, Missouri and author of the book Hands-on Agronomy. He will be the keynote presenter at the Van Buren Conservation District’s annual Farming for the Future conference at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence.
Kinsey has worked with growers since 1973 and works with all types of clients, from backyard gardeners to large farm operations using both conventional and no-till. He focuses on building and maintaining soil health for quality crop production and travels the world consulting and teaching soil fertility balancing. In addition to consulting on common crops like corn, soybeans, wheat and other small grains, he also works with specialty crops like vegetables, grapes, alfalfa, hay, oats, melons, turf grass, and many other crops grown around the world
Colleen Forestieri is a Conservation Technician. She says, “We want to offer a different perspective to farmers with this conference. While other events highlight the latest products or equipment, we like to focus on improving management practices, which leads to more resilient and profitable farms while also improving soil and water quality in the long run.”
Farming for the Future is an annual educational event for local farmers and is a great opportunity to learn from agricultural specialists, educators, researchers, businesses, and other farmers. This year’s topics include micronutrients, cover crops, soil health, fruit production and more. RUP credits will be available, as well as a MAEAP Phase 1 credit. Registration will begin at 8:30am with coffee and doughnuts. Lunch will also be provided.
This event is free and open to the public but pre-registration is required and space is limited. Farmers are asked to register by March 22 by calling the Van Buren Conservation District at 269-657-4030 x5 or clicking this link: www.vanburencd.org.
