Join us in Argos, Indiana for a day long workshop focused on soil health in high tunnels.
Marshall County Aggie Gathering: Specialty Crop Growers Meeting. Our focus is on Marshall County growers, but anyone and everyone is welcome to attend.
Agenda:
9:00am - 9:30am Doors open
9:30am - 10:30am Soil Health 101 Terri Theisen, Urban Soil Health
10:30am - 10:45am Break
10:45am - 12:15pm NRCS Practices and Programs Cara Bergschneider and Troy Manges USDA NRCS
12:15pm - 1:15 Lunch and visit with vendors
1:15pm - 1:35pm USDA Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Gideon Nobbe, USDA Farm Services Agency
1:35pm - 1:50pm Break
1:50pm - 2:35pm Maximizing High Tunnel Production for Profit and Soil Health Dan Perkins, Perkins Good Earth Farm
Crops from your high tunnel with no supplemental heat means more money in your pocket. How do we irrigate and maintain soil health under such intensive production?
Dan is owner and farmer at Perkins’ Good Earth Farm in Demotte, IN. He is known as the “Cover Crop Guy” in NW Indiana. Perkins' Good Earth Farm utilizes no-till, permanent deep-compost beds, and is a certified organic farm growing on 2.5 acres with 18,000 bulbs of hardneck garlic and produce via a 200 member CSA, on-farm stand, commercial kitchen, and local wholesale accounts. The farm generates a good living and lifestyle for their family of 6. Dan has over 16+ years of experience in organic and conventional crop management and growing experience in Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, and Indiana.
2:35pm - 3:30pm Grower Panel
This event is free to attend because of the generous support of contributors and partners.
The USDA-NRCS, USDA-FSA, and Purdue Extension are equal opportunity providers, employers, and lenders.
If you need accommodations to attend this workshop, please submit a request at least two weeks before the event to Terri Theisen (ttheisen@urbansoilhealth.org).
Pictured are logos from Purdue Extension-Marshall County, Plymouth Farmers Market, USDA-NRCS, Urban Soil Health, USDA-FSA, Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative, and Marshall County Farm Bureau