Tech Talks is a online training series organized by the Technical Training and Certification Program. Rotating speakers cover a wide variety of technical topics at 1:00 on Mondays. The list of Tech Talks and links to replays for 2023 can be found below.
Kernza is a perennial grass that can be used as a source of grain and for livestock forage. This session covers several aspects of Kernza including conservation benefits, financial assistance options, livestock forage, seed availability, and market development. Presenters include Jake Jungers, UMN; Cynthia Bartel, Iowa State; Tessa Peters, The Land Institute; and Colin Cureton, Forever Green Initiative.
Duane Fogard, ABC Forester, provides an introduction to forest ecology and the history of forests in Minnesota.
This Tech Talk provides an overview of the interim CPS 810 Annual Forages for Grazing Systems Conservation Practice Standard, Implementation Requirements, and common examples of how this practice may be used. This session also includes an overview of the technical information that has been developed for this practice, which includes Technical Note 34: Annual Forages for Grazing Systems and the Minnesota Annual Forages for Grazing Systems Design Workbook.
Ryan Buetow, NRCS State Agronomist, discusses the foundation of soil management and all the impacts that pH has on crop growth, nutrient availability, and soil microbial activity. The new interim practice Amending Soil Properties with Lime (CPS 805) is covered along with implementation requirements, common examples of how this practice will be used, and required reporting.
Ryan Buetow, NRCS State Agronomist, discusses the new practices Controlled Traffic Farming (CPS 334), Conservation Harvest (CPS 809), and Field Operations Emissions Reduction (CPS 376). This session discusses common examples of how these practices may be used and an overview of practice requirements.
John Crellin, NRCS Area Resource Conservationist, covers the April, 2023 version of CPA-52 form including the updates to the form and live demonstrations of how to copy and paste CART data directly into the CPA-52 form for both CSP and EQIP.
The Audubon Conservation Ranching (ACR) program is a collaborative effort between farmers, ranchers, and Audubon to address the decline of grassland bird populations. During this session, Krysten Zummo shares background on the Audubon Conservation Ranching program, the pillars it was built on and what the process for certification looks like.
A deep dive into the 4Rs starts where the original Nitrogen Smart ends with a detailed discussion on N rate, the contributions from soil and the stress from climate factors.
The 4Rs promote a nutrient management approach that balances crop productivity with environmental preservation:
Livestock manures have been used as a crop fertilizer source for thousands of years. It continues to be a valuable source of crop nutrients, even with the advent of synthetic fertilizers. Because its nutrient content and availability can vary widely, it's important to develop a management plan that will optimize crop productivity while protecting water quality.
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