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CPS 340 Cover Crop Training Series

This training series provides an introduction to the knowledge, skills, and abilities to plan, write, and certify Cover Crop (CPS 340). Additional training may be needed.

CPS 340 Job Approval Authority Fact Sheet

Skill
Practice Specific
Source

TTCP

Training Type
Online Learning
Notes

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1.  Knowledge of State's Crops and Cropping Systems

  • Soybean Variety Selection

    • What criteria should you use when selecting a soybean variety? How do the economics pencil out for different soybean maturities in your area? What disease traits should you be on the lookout for? Learn more through a discussion of these questions and trial results with Dr. Seth Naeve, Extension soybean agronomist and Dr. Dean Malvick, Extension plant pathologist.

  • Corn Hybrid Selection

    • What criteria should you used when selecting a corn hybrid? How do hybrid maturities affect your bottom line? What about hybrid selection and disease resistance?  Watch the recording for answers to these questions and hybrid trial results with Dr. Jeff Coulter, Extension corn agronomist, Tom Hoverstad, Researcher from Southern Research and Outreach Center and Dr. Dean Malvick, Extension plant pathologist.

  • Soybean crop management in Wisconsin (soybeans, part 1/3)

    • (Time: 12:35) This video discusses components contributing to yield in soybeans including varietal selection, regional climate and fertilization.

  • Vegetative Growth Stages of Soybeans (soybeans 2/3)

    • (Time: 16:39) This video focuses on the early season growth and development of soybeans

  • R Stages, Soybean Management in Wisconsin (soybeans 3/3)

    • (Time: 17:42)  This video focuses on the reproductive stages of growth and development of soybeans.

  • Corn yield in Wisconsin and the US (Corn, part 1/3)

    • (Time:13:41) Dr. Joe Lauer's presentation about "Corn Growth, Development, and Physiology". This part (1 of 3) focuses on an overview of corn yield in Wisconsin and the US.

  • Corn growth and development staging systems (Corn, part 2/3)

    • (Time 41:01) Dr. Joe Lauer's presentation about "Corn Growth, Development, and Physiology". This part (2 of 3) focuses on systems used to label stages of corn plant development in Wisconsin and the US.

  • Yield components of corn (corn, part 3/3)

    • (Time 24:02)  Dr. Joe Lauer's presentation about "Corn Growth, Development, and Physiology". This part (3 of 3) focuses on the components that contribute to yield in corn.

  • Forages

    • This website provides information on variety selection, growing, harvest and storage, planting and pest management for forages in Minnesota.

  • Sugarbeets

    • This website provides information on  growing sugarbeets and pest management for sugarbeets Minnesota.

  • Small Grains

    • This website provides information on crop and variety selection, growing, harvest and storage, planting and pest management for small grains in Minnesota.

2.  Knowledge of Soil Health and Management

  • Core Competency: Soil Health Basics

    • This course will provide an introduction to soil health, dynamic soil properties, and sustainability principles to guide participants with recommendations for land management.

  • Living Soil Film

    • (Time 1:00:22) Our soils support 95 percent of all food production, and by 2060, our soils will be asked to give us as much food as we have consumed in the last 500 years. They filter our water. They are one of our most cost-effective reservoirs for sequestering carbon. They are our foundation for biodiversity. And they are vibrantly alive, teeming with 10,000 pounds of biological life in every acre. Yet in the last 150 years, we’ve lost half of the basic building block that makes soil productive. The societal and environmental costs of soil loss and degradation in the United States alone are now estimated to be as high as $85 billion every single year. Like any relationship, our living soil needs our tenderness. It’s time we changed everything we thought we knew about soil.

  • Winter Soil Health Virtual Series, Webinar 2

    • The Minnesota Soil Health Coalition produced a series of webinars in January and February of 2021.  These five webinars are:  Webinar 1: Soil Health Virtual Series: Matt Tiffany + Brian Pfarr  Webinar 2: Cover Crop Mixes with Tomm Cotter and TJ Kartes  Webinar 3:  Livestock Integration with Tom Cotter and Kent Solberg;  Webinar 4:  Small Grains with Andy Linder and Jochum Wiersma;  Interseeding Covers with Ed McNamara,  TJ Kartes, Scott Haase, Matt Alford and Jerry Ackerman

  • Tech Talk Replay: Equipment Modifications for Cover Crops

    • Tech Talk Replay from August 24 at 9:00 am. NRCS State Soil Health Specialist Kristin Brennan hosts a farmer panel including Brady Wulf of Starbuck,  Ryan Hough of Barnesville, and David Miller of Red Lake to discuss equipment modifications they have made to facilitate the integration of a soil health system into their farming operations.

  • Tech Talk Replay: Evaluating Herbicide Plans in a Soil Health System

    • Tech Talk Replay from August 10, 2020. Liz Stahl, UMN Extension, reviews the latest research and information regarding the impacts of weed management decisions on the potential for successful establishment of cover crops, cover crop end uses, and the tradeoffs we can expect in our weed management program. Following the presentation is a facilitated discussion with crop advisors.

  • Mitigating Climate Change Through the Soil Carbon Sponge

    • Discovery Farms Programs in Wisconsin and Minnesota are excited to bring to you a virtual conference series this winter. Join us as we cover topics like water quality, soil health, climate change, and more!

  • Soil Health Dos and Don'ts

    • Join us for this webinar during which soil health techniques such as cover crops, crop rotations, pest management, nutrient management, cash crop establishment, and water management will be discussed. Participants will be able to ask questions for a round table on several soil health topics. These include:

      • Cover Crop selection, seeding, termination and benefits.

      • Benefits to soil health by using crop rotations and crop rotations to avoid.

      • Pest Management techniques including scouting and monitoring of pests, beneficial insects, pesticide carry-over and breaking the cycle of non-essential pesticide use.

      • The 4-Rs in soil health system concerning nutrient management techniques.

      • Cash crop establishment techniques in cover crop systems. Discuss benefits of planting green or planting after chemical termination.

      • Benefits of soil health systems on water management. Specifically reductions in irrigation amounts and management techniques.

  • Nobel Conference 54 - Living Soil: A Universe Underfoot (2018)

    • Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN) hosted the 54th Nobel Conference on the Living Soil: A Universe Underfoot in 2018. This conference invited participants to consider the vast diversity and complexity of soil, and to ponder the challenges we face in protecting this most fundamental resource. Playlist includes all of the speaker presentations and panel discussions held during the two day conference.

3.  Ability to Use Wind and Water Erosion Prediction Tools

  • Erosion 101

    • This training module focuses on the types of erosion and the resource concerns associated with erosion.  It orients participants to the types and processes of soil erosion to prepare them to utilize the current soil erosion models - RUSLE2 and WEPS.

  • Water Erosion Prediction with RUSLE2

    • This course provides an overview of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), and instructions on how to use the RUSLE2 model to estimate sheet and rill erosion.

  • Wind Erosion Prediction with WEPS

    • This course provides an overview of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), and instructions on how to use the WEPS model to estimate wind erosion.

  • Using RUSLE2 to Evaluate Soil Health Planning Principles

    • Nearly all NRCS field offices and many conservation partners use RUSLE2 for conservation planning. This webinar will provide participants a better understanding of the NRCS soil health planning process and how adjustments made within RUSLE2 directly relate to implementing a Soil Health Management System. The link between NRCS’ four soil health planning principles (minimize disturbance, maximize diversity, keep a living root growing, provide soil cover) and the Soil Tillage Intensity Rating, Soil Conditioning Index, tillage operations, vegetation, growth curves, residue type, climate impacts, and other data used in RUSLE2 will be explored. RUSLE2 worksheets and graphs to compare systems and soil health outcomes will also be presented. Understanding RUSLE2 management inputs and how they relate to soil health and reduce erosion will better prepare conservation planners to assist farmers seeking NRCS help with erosion control and applying a Soil Health Management System.

4.  Knowledge of Tillage Systems Used in the State

  • Farming Implements in Action: Impacts on the Soil, Erosion Potential of Tillage Systems, and Economics

    • This webinar goes into the details of the five soil disturbing processes modeled in RUSLE2 (inversion, mixing, mixing with some inversion, lifting/fracturing, and compression). A video of a tillage implement in action for each of the processes is shown and discussed. The effects of the tillage types are demonstrated and discussed in a comparison between a conventional, reduced-till, and no-till corn/soybean rotation. Finally, the webinar ends with a very brief discussion of the economic factors that one should consider in making the move from a conventional to reduced-till or no-till system. This webinar was offered on-demand only to accommodate the use of videos. The videos are provided separately below for anyone having issues with the recording of this webinar.

  • Tillage Implements

    • This course will review tillage calculation tools, primary tillage implements, and secondary tillage implements used in a corn/soybean setting.

  • Nutrient and Pest Management Equipment

    • This short course looks at application equipment you may see in corn and soybean producing areas.

  • Harvesting Equipment

    • This short course looks at harvesting equipment you may see in corn and soybean producing areas.

  • Seeding and Planting Equipment

    • This course will review seeding and planting equipment used in a corn/soybean setting.

5.  Knowledge of Adaptive Species of Cover Crops for Planned Purposes in the State

  • Basic Cover Crop Webinar 3

    • Session 3 covers seed mix design, the seed calculator, calculating PLS and bulk seed as well as MN seed tag law.

6.  Knowledge of Approved Planting Dates, Times, and Methods of Termination for Cover Crops

  • Basic Cover Crop Webinar 4

    • Session 4 covers the topics of cover crop seeding and termination methods as well as economics of cover crops.

  • A strategy for killing cover crops with tillage

    • Farmers looking to incorporate cover crops into rotation are often left with the issue of terminating the crop. Is spraying enough? If you need to work the ground, what’s the best option? To tackle that question, Ontario field editor Bern Tobin asks Pat Lynch, agronomist and Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show tillage demo host, about tillage options for cover crop killing.

 

Minnesota Guidance: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Inventory and Evaluation (I&E) Planning Phase

Job Class I-III

1. Understand the Practice Standard, Agronomy Technical Note #33, Implementation Requirements (IR), and Statement of Work (SOW)

  • Tech Talk Replay: Cover Crop

    • Tech Talk replay from April 13, 2020. Laurie Svien reviews PS340 Cover Crop, Agronomy Tech Note 33, online cover crop resources, and completing the Implementation Requirements worksheet.

  • Basic Cover Crop Webinar 2

    • Session 2 covers the practice standard, Implementation Requirements worksheet, Agronomy Technical Note 33 and Cover Crop Identification.

2. Knowledge of resource concerns that can be addressed by using cover crops

  • Basic Cover Crop Webinar 1

    • Session 1 discusses cover crop strategies, resource concerns that can be treated with cover crops, benefits of cover crops and how cover crops fit into MN cropping systems.

  • Tech Talk: Soil Health Resource Concerns

    • Stephanie McLain (NRCS State Soil Health Specialist) provides an overview of the soil health resource concerns including how to evaluate them. This session also includes a brief introduction to the In Field Soil Health Assessments.

  • Tech Talk: Cropland In Field Soil Health Assessment and Its Role to Evaluate Soil Function

    • During this session with Stephanie McLain, attendees gain awareness and knowledge of the Cropland In Field Soil Health Assessment developed by the NRCS National Soil Health Division found in Soil Health Tech Note 450-06. The Cropland In-Field Soil Health Assessment is designed to be used as a diagnostic tool to support conservation planners determine and document if soil health resource concerns exist. We review and discuss the 11 indicators that are used to assess soil function, which in turn affects soil health.

3. Ability to communicate cover crop benefits and how each cover crop can affect each practice purpose

  • Long-term Effect of Cover Crops on Soil Health Crop Yield

    • Tune into this Digital Cafe to hear from Dr. Inderjot Chahal with the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Guelph. Dr. Chalal will discuss the long-term cover crop experiments established at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. The presentation will focus specifically on the benefits and implications of cover crops on increasing soil health indicators and crop yield in the long-term.

  • Soil Health Pays

    • A farm’s profitability depends on many factors – but reducing yield variability is a key component. Mitchell County farmer Wayne Fredericks and plant physiologist Jerry Hatfield will review the extensive on-farm research data they’ve collected on reducing yield variability. Their data shows that improving soil health through cover crops and other conservation practices can have a positive effect on total field yield.

  • Economics of Soil Health: Contributions of Reduced Tillage and Cover Cropping

    • Weighing the costs and benefits of soil health management practices is a primary concern for producers considering the adoption of such practices. However, the economic information needed for making data-driven, science-based decisions is difficult to find. Recognizing that cropping and operating systems, climate, and soils vary, the Soil Health Institute has done extensive research to develop partial budgets to fill the knowledge gap on the economics of soil health systems. Using data from more than 100 corn and soybean production partial budgets from across the United States, this webinar will provide an in-depth analysis of how cover cropping affects expenditures and management practices in reduced tillage systems. It will also discuss details on cover crop seed mixes, planting, and termination strategies.

  • Cover Crop Economics Decision Support Tool

    • As cover crops gain attention and focus, questions are moving from agronomics to economics. This presentation centers on a spreadsheet-based partial budgeting tool that is available to help address some of the economic and financial questions that arise. This tool is designed to help producers, landowners, planners and others make informed decisions when considering making cover crops a part of their production systems.

  • Cover Crop Chart
    • The document provides a comprehensive guide on cover crops, their characteristics, benefits, and crop sequence effects.
4. Awareness of crop rotations and the different methods how cover crops can fit into a cropping system timeline

  • Effective Cover Cropping - Maximizing Benefits, Minimizing Risk

    • Bringing forward information and data from several years and data from assorted research locations, Dr. Gruver discusses both gains and hurdles in cover crops and soil health. Reducing Cost of Failure and Quickly Learning From Failure. “Fail Fast, Succeed Faster” Dr. Joel Gruver, Professor of Soil Science at Western Illinois University brings new soil health discussion forward regarding reducing cost of failure and quickly learning from failure in cover crops; Precision Cover Cropping; Water Quality; presentation of data from several years and locations of research.

5. Awareness of tillage systems and be able to discuss ways to adapt tillage systems to fit cover crops into the management

  • Tips for Using Cover Crops in a Tillage System (Podcast)

    • It's a bit more challenging to fit cover crops into a tillage system, but there are opportunities if you create them, says Steve Groff. The Cover Crop Coach and Holtwood, Pa., grower will share different ways row crop farmers and even vegetable farmers in the U.S. and overseas are getting cover crops seeded into tilled fields to control erosion and replenish soils.

Job Class IV-V

1. Knowledge of how cover crops fit into organic cropping systems and how this impacts crop rotation, tillage, and nutrient management

  • Cover Crop Strategies (Podcasts)

    • Cover Crop Strategies offers a series of Podcasts related to Cover Crops and Soil Health.  Topics include Cover Crop Management Tips, Choosing Cover Crop Goals First, Grazing Systems Need Soil Health Improvement Too,  Combining Cover Crops and Not-Till Organic among other topics. Check it out!

2. Knowledge of cover crops and their use in urban and small farm operations

  • Tech Talk: Intro to Urban Soil Health for Conservation Planning and Management

    • In this webinar, Josh Beniston, NRCS Regional Soil Health Specialist covering urban areas, presents an overview of soil health in the context of urban soils. Josh walks through the aspects of urban soils may be different than rural agricultural soils and discusses the additional questions and observations that should be addressed for conservation planning in urban soils.

  • Urban Cover Crops

    • NRCS National Plant Materials Center Manager David Kidwell-Slak and his team plant Cereal Rye as a cover crop in the garden beds of the urban farm outside of the Department of Agriculture Whitten Building in Washington, D.C., December 15, 2021. The crops are used over the winter months to take up some of the excess nutrients left over from last year’s vegetable plants. https://www.farmers.gov, USDA’s one-stop shop for resources for America’s farmers, ranchers, and foresters. Grow with us!

3. Knowledge of livestock integration and grazing/haying/silage considerations

  • 2022 Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference - Creating Opportunities for In-Season Manure

    • In Wisconsin, we’re fortunate to have manure as a natural fertilizer. A panel of farmers discuss their experiences (the how) on maximizing the benefits of manure through in-season applications. This session takes a deeper look into widening manure application windows by using various tools (crop rotation, cover crops, application equipment, etc.).
      Speakers: Aaron Augustian, Jacob Brey, Jordan Crave

  • Cattle Grazing on Cover Crops in Faribault County, MN

    • Producer Andy Linder discusses the methods and benefits of grazing steers on Cover Crops. (10 minutes, 45 seconds)

  • On-Farm Research Explores Cover Crops, Manure, Nitrogen & Returns

    • Woody Van Arkel and Cameron Ogilvie shared results of and experience with on-farm research at Woody’s farm. Research explored different cover crops in combination with manure applications and side-dressed nitrogen. Cover crops included cereal rye, red clover and multi-species blends. Learn how on-farm research like this can help you consider net returns and not solely bushels per acre.

 

Design Phase

Job Class I-V

1. Knowledge of planting dates, rates and methods and be able to discuss limiting variables

  • Best Management Practices for Drill- Interseeding Cover Crops into Corn

    • Participants will learn how management practices and environmental conditions impact the performance of cover crops that are drill-interseeded into corn early in the growing season. Participate in this training to learn how cover crop species selection, interseeding timing, corn management, herbicide selection and application timing impact performance of interseeded cover crops. Emphasis will be placed on how to adjust management practices based on conservation goals for interseeding cover crops.

  • Side Dressing Cover Crops into Corn with Rob Olson and Daughters

    • Producer Rob Olson and daughters Nicole and Kari demonstrate inter-seeding cover crops into corn on their farm in Clay County, MN. (13 minutes, 34 seconds)

  • High Clearance Cover Crop seeder with Andy Linder

    • Producer Andy Linder of Faribault MN demonstrates how he seeds cover crops into soybeans and corn using his revamped high clearance Hagie seeder. He discusses the methods, benefits, and potential pitfalls of using this method of seeding cover crops. (9 minutes, 35 seconds)

2. Ability to develop a cover crop implementation plan to meet the objectives of the producer and address resource concerns with an understanding of the risks associated with different strategies

  • Tech Talk Replay: Fertilization in a Soil Health System

    • Tech Talk Replay from August 24 at 1:00. Dr. Daniel Kaiser (UMN Extension) and Dorian Gatchel discuss fertilizer considerations in soil health systems.

  • Tech Talk Replay: Cover Crop
    • Tech Talk replay from April 13, 2020. Laurie Svien reviews PS340 Cover Crop, Agronomy Tech Note 33, online cover crop resources, and completing the Implementation Requirements worksheet.
  • Basic Cover Crop Webinar 2
    • Session 2 covers the practice standard, Implementation Requirements worksheet, Agronomy Technical Note 33 and Cover Crop Identification.
3. Knowledge of Agronomy Tech Note 33 to support development of a cover crop design
4. Ability to discuss termination timing and methods and the advantages or disadvantages of these methods with the producer

  • NRCS Cover Crop Termination Guidelines 2019

  • Basic Cover Crop Webinar 4
    • Session 4 covers the topics of cover crop seeding and termination methods as well as economics of cover crops.
  • A strategy for killing cover crops with tillage
    • Farmers looking to incorporate cover crops into rotation are often left with the issue of terminating the crop. Is spraying enough? If you need to work the ground, what’s the best option? To tackle that question, Ontario field editor Bern Tobin asks Pat Lynch, agronomist and Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show tillage demo host, about tillage options for cover crop killing.
5. Ability to develop documents (IR, seeding calculator) for a producer and clearly explain the objectives set in these planning documents
6. Explain the requirements for being able to use bin run seed for use in conservation programs

  • Minnesota Agronomy Technical Note 33

  • Basic Cover Crop Training - Webinar #2 (at approximately minute 53:00)

    • 2023 Webinar Replay - Session 2 covers the practice standard, Implementation Requirements worksheet, Agronomy Technical Note 33 and Cover Crop Identification.

  • Tech Talk: Minnesota Seed Law

    • This session provides an overview of Minnesota's Seed law, one of the oldest consumer protection laws in Minnesota, which is in place to ensure a fair marketplace. The law requires certain content on seed labels so that the customer knows what they are buying. The Minnesota Seed Regulatory Program inspects seed labels and takes samples of seed lots at all sites where seed is produced, labeled, or available for sale. Samples are tested by the MN seed lab using American Official Seed Analysts (AOSA) rules and the result is compared to the label to see if they are truthful. Most of the MN seed industry follows these regulations and when there are issues the seed program works to help stakeholders achieve compliance.

 

Construction, Installation, and Certification Phases

Job Class I-V

1. Ability to read seed tags and calculate Pure Live Seed (PLS) to confirm cover crop seeding rate meets specifications
2. Ability to complete IR and seeding calculator to certify the practice
3. If bin run seed is used, ability to determine seeding rates and PLS based on the required documentation
4. Ability to complete stand evaluation if needed

Minnesota Agronomy Technical Note 17

Related Practices & Terms

Cover Crop, 340

CPS 380 Windbreak-Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Training Series

This training series provides an introduction to the knowledge, skills, and abilities to plan, design, and certify Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation (CPS 380). Additional training may be needed.

CPS 380 Job Approval Authority Fact Sheet

Skill
Practice Specific
Source

TTCP

Training Type
Online Learning
Notes

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Knowledge of windbreak/shelterbelt design and function

  • Tech Talk: Windbreak Planning Considerations

    • This session includes an overview of the Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (CPS 380) practice standard and some of the additional planning considerations for windbreaks, shelterbelts, and living snow fences. Karin Jokela, Xerces Society, will be discussing wildlife habitat considerations, including those for pollinators and beneficial insects, and Dan Gullickson, MN DOT, will review porosity and setbacks as snow management considerations. This session also includes a demonstration on the use of Conservation Tree Shrub Groups (CTSG) and an overview of the Implementation Requirements worksheet.

  • Tech Talk: Windbreak Fundamentals

    • Gary Wyatt (UMN Extension) provides an overview of Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (CPS380) practice and the windbreak design elements: height, density, and length. This session provides many examples of applications of windbreaks/shelterbelts as well as considerations for placement and design.

  • Windbreak Purposes

    • Richard Straight of the National Agroforestry Center discusses how windbreak design for specific purposes.

  • Introduction to Agroforestry Systems

    • Participants will learn about the five recognized agroforestry practices: Windbreaks, Alley Cropping, Silvopasture, Forest Farming and Riparian. (Time: 00:58)

  • UMN Extension Agroforestry Windbreaks

    • Windbreaks are plantings of trees, shrubs or a combination of the two, that reduce wind speed in an agricultural area. They can:

      • Reduce energy costs around farmsteads

      • Mitigate livestock odors

      • Reduce wind stress on crops and livestock

      • Manage snow

      • Provide wildlife habitat and timber products

  • Pollinator Friendly Multi-functional Windbreak Design

    • Mark Wonneck, of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada discusses the habitat requirements for pollinator species and how they can be considered and incorporated into the design of windbreaks.

2. Knowledge of forest ecology and management for the local area

  • Enhancing Mast (food) Production for Woodland Wildlife

    • Fruit from trees and shrubs (aka mast) is a significant source of food for many wildlife species. This webinar will explore a variety of mast producing trees and shrubs found in eastern deciduous woodlands as well as their role in sustaining the wildlife species that depend on them. It will explore on some of the techniques, including crop tree management that can be employed to enhance the diversity and productivity of these woodland mast producers. (Time: 1:05)

3. Knowledge of crops protected by windbreaks and shelterbelts

  • WEPS Introduction

    • Review the sections of this document titled “Tolerances in Wind Erosion Control” beginning on page 8 through the end of the document.

4. Knowledge of silvics of tree species to be established

  • Silvics of North America

    • The silvical characteristics of about 200 forest tree species and varieties are described.  These represent most of the commercially important trees of the United States and Canada and some of those from Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, making this a reference for virtually all of North America.

  • USDA Plants Database

    • Search the database by species and read “Characteristics” and/or the “Plant Guide” for that species.

5. Knowledge of soil health and management

  • Unlock the Secrets in the Soil

    • A series of 41 videos, mostly under five minutes each that discuss various soil health topics and applications of soil health principles.

  • Soil Quality - the Foundation for Resource Management

    • (Time: 1:55) Participants in the webinar learn about Natural Resources Conservation Service conservation planning principles to improve soil health and the impact soil health has on other resource concerns, such as water quality.

  • Soil Health

    • (Time: 57:21) In this session, Dr. Jessica Gutknecht discusses soil health. When you think about the soil beneath your feet, or beneath your tractor, what does it mean for it to be healthy? What does it take for it to be healthy, and what are the results of those efforts? In this talk, we will explore the world below with a brief introduction to soils, how soil structure is built into a healthy soil, and some management options for building a healthy soil. We will also discuss the win-win of soil health for sustainable management and for adaptation to increasingly variable Minnesota weather and climate.

  • Living Soil Film

    • (Time 1:00:22) Our soils support 95 percent of all food production, and by 2060, our soils will be asked to give us as much food as we have consumed in the last 500 years. They filter our water. They are one of our most cost-effective reservoirs for sequestering carbon. They are our foundation for biodiversity. And they are vibrantly alive, teeming with 10,000 pounds of biological life in every acre. Yet in the last 150 years, we’ve lost half of the basic building block that makes soil productive. The societal and environmental costs of soil loss and degradation in the United States alone are now estimated to be as high as $85 billion every single year. Like any relationship, our living soil needs our tenderness. It’s time we changed everything we thought we knew about soil.

  • Tech Talk: Forest In Field Soil Health Assessment Tool

    • The Forestland In Field Soil Health Assessment (FIFSHA) was developed to assist conservation planners with evaluating the health of private nonindustrial forestland soils. During this session Tom Sauer, ACES Forester (NRCS), introduces assessments of the eight indicators of forest soil health:

      • Soil Cover

      • Woody Debris

      • Soil Burn Severity

      • Soil Disturbance Intensity

      • Soil Structure

      • Water Stable Aggregates

      • Soil Fauna/Biology Diversity

      • Roots

      Soil health is maintained or achieved in forestlands through application of four principles: 1) optimize presence of living roots, 2) optimize disturbance, 3) optimize soil cover, and 4) optimize biodiversity. The FIFSHA is designed to determine whether a site has any of the four soil health resource concerns: Aggregate Instability, Compaction, Soil Organism Habitat Loss or Degradation, and Soil Organic Matter Depletion.

6. Skills in use of pruning tools and equipment (Renovation specific)

 

Minnesota Guidance: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Planning, Design, and Certification Phases

Job Class I

1. Read and understand the Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) 380, Implementation Requirements (IR), Guidance Document (GD), and Statement of Work (SOW)
2. Understand Minnesota prevailing wind direction

  • Windbreak Design: How Windbreaks Work

    • Richard Straight of the National Agroforestry Center discusses how different windbreak design elements influence wind speed and flow.

  • Wind Rose Data

    • The National Water and Climate Center provides a dataset of wind rose plot images in .gif format. The images are organized by state, by city within each state, and then by month.

3. Ability to design all types of windbreaks except odor, pesticide drift, and living snow fence
4. Understand site preparation, planting methods and equipment

  • Tech Talk: Tree and Shrub Site Preparation (CPS 490)

    • This Tech Talk is about tree/shrub site preparation (CPS 490) and tree/shrub planting methods. This session includes a discussion of planning considerations for site preparation and matching the site preparation techniques to the site conditions. Different types of tree stock and planting methods are discussed along with planning considerations for successful tree/shrub establishment. Available web soil survey reports are demonstrated and other resources for practice planning are provided.

  • Tree Planting with a Mechanical Planter

    • This video provided by the Montcalm Conservation district is a dynamic demonstration of how to plant tree seedlings using a mechanical planter. Typically used for plantings of 500+ tree seedlings.

  • Hand Tree Planting

    • In this video Montcalm Conservation District explains in detail how to plant trees by hand.

5. Ability to document environmental benefits of a windbreak/shelterbelt

  • Wind Erosion Prediction with WEPS

    • This course provides an overview of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), and instructions on how to use the WEPS model to estimate wind erosion.

  • Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Network Effects Diagram (NED)

    • An NRCS network effects diagram is a flowchart showing the direct, indirect, and cumulative consequences of implementing a conservation practice. It serves as a visual communication tool illustrating both potential positive and negative outcomes for natural resources, with plus (+) or minus (-) signs indicating an increase or decrease in resource effects, not necessarily whether the effect is beneficial or adverse. These diagrams provide an overview of expert consensus on the effects of conservation practices, helping users understand the interconnected impacts on resources like soil, water, and wildlife.

  • Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation Conservation Practice Physical Effects (CPPE)

    • The Conservation Practices Physical Effects (CPPE) matrix provides a qualitative assessment of how specific NRCS conservation practices influence natural resources like soil, water, air, and plants, as well as human aspects such as animals, energy, land, labor, capital, and risk. Developed by interdisciplinary teams of specialists, these tools help planners understand the potential outcomes, both positive and negative, of implementing different conservation measures by providing general statements on their expected effects and helping in the conservation planning process.

6. Knowledge of tree and shrub pests and diseases that may influence species selection and management

  • Minnesota DNR Forest Health web page

    • DNR Forestry's forest health unit is responsible for surveys, evaluations, and impact assessments of forest pests and diseases and technical assistance for public and private landowners on tree and forest health and invasive species.

7. Ability to select appropriate species for site conditions such as hydrology, soil type, topography, ecology, and other conditions
8. Ability to use the Conservation Tree/Shrub Groups excel workbook located on the FOTG

  • Tech Talk: Conservation Tree Shrub Groups (CTSGs)

    • The Conservation Tree-Shrub Groups (CTSGs) are a planning tool that aid in the selection of trees and shrubs for planting based on soil type. During this session Garett Christiansen (Forester, NRCS) and Brandon DeFoe (Soil Scientist, NRCS) will share information about recent updates to this tool and the lists of tree and shrub species recommended for different soil types.

  • Tech Talk: Tree/Shrub Establishment CPS 612 (2022)

    • In this session Callie Bertsch, NRCS State Forester, and Kelly Voigt, TTCP Training Conservationist, cover Tree/Shrub Establishment practice (CPS 612). This session covers the use of Web Soil Survey to identify Conservation Tree/Shrub Groups and using the CTSG group spreadsheet to select species of trees/shrubs to plant. This session also tree spacing specifications for different planting purposes and other tree/shrub selection factors. In addition, participants will become familiar with the Implementation Requirements worksheet for the 612 practice standard.

9. Understand tree and shrub planting row spacing, both between and within row

  • Tech Talk: Windbreak Planning Considerations

    • This session includes an overview of the Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment (CPS 380) practice standard and some of the additional planning considerations for windbreaks, shelterbelts, and living snow fences. Karin Jokela, Xerces Society, will be discussing wildlife habitat considerations, including those for pollinators and beneficial insects, and Dan Gullickson, MN DOT, will review porosity and setbacks as snow management considerations. This session also includes a demonstration on the use of Conservation Tree Shrub Groups (CTSG) and an overview of the Implementation Requirements worksheet.

  • Tech Talk: Tree and Shrub Establishment Practice (CPS 612)

    • In this session Callie Bertsch, NRCS State Forester, and Kelly Voigt, TTCP Training Conservationist, cover Tree/Shrub Establishment practice (CPS 612). This session covers the use of Web Soil Survey to identify Conservation Tree/Shrub Groups and using the CTSG group spreadsheet to select species of trees/shrubs to plant. This session also tree spacing specifications for different planting purposes and other tree/shrub selection factors. In addition, participants will become familiar with the Implementation Requirements worksheet for the 612 practice standard.

10. Understand techniques to protect trees from wildlife damage

  • Woodland Stewardship for Landowners: Managing Deer Damage to Young trees

    • Browsing by deer on planted and naturally regenerated hardwood seedlings is one of the greatest obstacles to seedling establishment in many parts of the central hardwood region. In this Woodland Stewardship For Landowners, Purdue Wildlife Extension Specialist Brian MacGowan talks about different types of deer damage and how landowners could mitigate the damage.

11. Ability to identify tree and shrub species

  • Tech Talk: Dendrology 101

    • Callie Bertsch, NRCS State Forester, and Jon Sellnow, TTCP Coordinator, present the basics of tree and woody shrub identification of native Minnesota species. They look at identification by family groups, leaf structure, bark, when the trees bloom or leaf out and when they change color in the fall, and even take a look at common forest health issues that affect each species. All things to help you identify the species to better take inventory and identify resource concerns when working with private landowners.

12. Ability to add a row to an existing windbreak

Job Class II

1. All requirements from Job Class I

See content above

2. Ability to design a windbreak for pesticide drift

  • Windbreak Purposes

    • Richard Straight of the National Agroforestry Center discusses how windbreak design for specific purposes.  REPEATED: Begin Video at 1:51:43

3. Ability to use WIN-PST

  • Using WIN-PST for Conservation Planning

    • This course introduces you to the Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST). You will learn what the tool is and how to run it. You will also learn how to interpret reports it generates and how they can be used when working with clients. You’ll also see how using this tool fits in the Nine Steps of Conservation Planning.

4. Ability to replace a row in an existing windbreak

Job Class III

1. All requirements from Job Class I and II

See content above

2. Ability to design a windbreak for odor control and living snow fence

  • Ability to use the MN DOT/UMN Drift-Free Roads Design Tool: University of Minnesota -Snow Fence

    • Snow fences can help maintain clear roadways by capturing blowing snow upwind of a problem area and storing that snow over the winter season. This web site is formatted as a tool that will help you design a snow fence for a given problem location. Based on the geographic location you have selected, you will be given the data needed and you will input site-specific parameters. Color maps, photos, and schematics are given along the way to help you visualize concepts.

  • Blowing Snow Control Tools

    • University of Minnesota resources for design of Living Snow Fences. This site includes a design tool, a video on how to run the design tool, a cost benefit tool, and a video on how to use it plus many videos on the variations and benefits of snow fences for preventing snow drifts on roads.

  • Ability to use UMN Extension’s Odor From Feedlot Setback Estimation Tool (OFFSET)

    • University of Minnesota resources for design of a windbreak for odor control.

Job Class IV

1. All requirements from Job Class I, II, and III

See content above

2. Ability to design a windbreak renovation with individual plant thinning and individual plant replacement within row

  • Windbreak Renovation

    • Millions of acres across North America are protected by thousands of windbreaks. Many of these windbreaks are in need of renovation. This video features a variety of renovation techniques that can be used to prolong the effectiveness of windbreaks. Techniques described include sod release, coppicing, thinning, pruning, row removal, supplemental planting, and root pruning. Traditional renovation equipment such as chainsaws and bulldozers are demonstrated along with equipment innovations which may be more efficient and less expensive The video concludes with two stories of windbreak renovation, one of a farmer and the other of a public land manager.

Job Class V

1. All requirements from Job Class I, II, III, and IV

See content above

Related Practices & Terms

Windbreak, Shelterbelt, Establishment, Renovation, Tree, Shrub, Planting, 380, 650

CPS 595 Pest Management Conservation System

This training series provides an introduction to the knowledge, skills, and abilities to plan, design, and certify Pest Management Conservation Systems (CPS 595). Additional training may be needed.

CPS 595 Job Approval Authority Fact Sheet

Skill
Practice Specific
Source

TTCP

Training Type
Online Learning
Notes

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

1. Knowledge of crops, grazing, and forestry production systems for the geographic area
2. Ability to use the current Pesticide Screening tool (WIN-PST)

  • Using WIN-PST for Conservation Planning

    • This course introduces you to the Windows Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST). You will learn what the tool is and how to run it. You will also learn how to interpret reports it generates and how they can be used when working with clients. You’ll also see how using this tool fits in the Nine Steps of Conservation Planning.

3. Ability to use Current Wind and Water Erosion Prediction Tools

  • Erosion 101

    • This training module focuses on the types of erosion and the resource concerns associated with erosion.  It orients participants to the types and processes of soil erosion to prepare them to utilize the current soil erosion models - RUSLE2 and WEPS.   

  • Water Erosion Prediction with RUSLE2

    • This course provides an overview of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), and instructions on how to use the RUSLE2 model to estimate sheet and rill erosion.

  • Wind Erosion Prediction with WEPS

    • This course provides an overview of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS), and instructions on how to use the WEPS model to estimate wind erosion.

4. Completion of the initial Pest Management training technical assistance with supervision

  • On the Job Training

5. Completion of the Pest Management course

  • Pest Management, Track 2, Part 1

    • This training course introduces NRCS' mission in the nutrient and pest management arena and how it relates to the RMS planning process. It also identifies regulatory requirements and partnership roles that help to define that mission. It provides the participant with a basic understanding of the science of nutrient and pest management, as well as environmental concerns associated with the use of nutrients and pest management measures, including environmental risk, and the processes that affect the fate and transport of nutrients and pesticides in the environment. Also covered are climate and water management planning considerations and their practical aspects as they relate to nutrient and pest management. The course contains a video that illustrates the challenges of pest and nutrient management. After successful completion of the self-paced Modules 1 - 6, participants will use exercises and assessment tools in a facilitated session to reinforce and apply important concepts. The participant will prepare a nutrient and/or pest management component of a RMS plan to complete the training.

6. Have a current Pest Management Applicator license as required by law in the state of practice

  • Only applicable to pesticide applicators

Practice Specific Training
Other Training Opportunities

  • CORE 4 Pest Management Technical References 

    • (Time: will vary)  Basic overview of pest management principles.  Materials concentrate on assessing environmental risks of pest management alternatives.

  • Hot Topics in Weed Management:  Putting the pieces together

    • With the multitude of crop herbicide resistant trait packages available, chemical weed control has become more complicated, especially as herbicide resistant weeds continue to cause management challenges.  A good understanding of weed biology and trait package options along with results from field trials implementing chemical and non-chemical methods will help you get the most out of your weed management investment.

  • Herbicide Trait Technology: What to Use When, Where and How

    • Where does it make most sense to use certain herbicide tolerance traits? What are some of the things you should consider when using them? Learn more in this discussion with Dr. Debalin Sarangi, Extension weed scientist and Dr. Tom Peters, Extension sugarbeet agronomist.

  • Nutrient and Pest Management Equipment

    • This short course looks at application equipment you may see in corn and soybean producing areas.

  • Nutrient and Pest Management Equipment

    • This short course looks at application equipment you may see in corn and soybean producing areas.

  • High Tunnel System

    •  This video is about a high tunnel that was built in St. Paul Minnesota by Urban Roots during the summer of 2018 with financial and technical assistance from USDA/NRCS. Urban Roots has been growing vegetables on the East Side of St. Paul for 20 years. This years planted crops include cucumbers, peppers, and ginger. This video demonstrates the step-by-step procedure for building a high tunnel in an urban setting. The advantages and methods for growing vegetables, including pest management in a high tunnel system, are discussed. (10 minutes, 39 seconds)

  • Your Insect Allies: Meet the Beneficial Insects that Control Crop Pests and Promote Soil Health

    • Join Karin Jokela, Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society, to get to know some of the most common beneficial insects above and below ground. We will cover habitat planning to promote natural enemies and beneficial soil invertebrates, basic identification and ecology, as well as simple monitoring techniques to help farmers, land managers, and gardeners assess existing populations.

  • Pest Management From an Ecological Framework

    • No-till, cover crops, and diverse rotations are well known practices that can improve soil health. While they improve soil quality, these practices can simultaneously help build robust populations of soil invertebrates, including predatory species that can be allies in pest control. Unfortunately, many farmers trying to improve soil health appear to be inadvertently handicapping their farming systems by overusing pesticides, particularly insecticides and fungicides. Fortunately, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) provides an established economic framework for deploying pesticides as necessary. Our research suggests that incorporating IPM alongside other soil health practices maximizes the potential for farm fields to better withstand pest invasion while diminishing the potential for pesticides to degrade benefits provided by soil health practices.

 

Minnesota Guidance: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Planning, Design, and Certification Phases

Job Class I (Drift)

1. Read and understand the Conservation Practice Standard (CPS 595), Implementation Requirements (IR), and Statement of Work (SOW)
2. Read and understand USDA-NRCS GM-190-404 Pest Management Policy 
3. Ability to document IPM/PAMS activities
4. Knowledge of Mitigation Techniques needed for Drift from National AGR-TN-5 Pest Management in the  Conservation Planning Process
5. Complete a PMCS plan using 595 MN IR (Additional Criteria Requirement not required). (Plan will be reviewed by ARC; planner must demonstrate understanding of PAMS techniques)
6. Ability to find information on a pesticide label related to Environmental Hazards and Active Ingredients

Job Class II (Surface Runoff) and III (Leaching)

1. Knowledge of pesticide (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.) used in Minnesota agriculture, forests, conservation land and associated ag land to properly interview producers on use
2. Ability to calculate Active Ingredients (A.I.) applied per acre
3. Ability to plan Mitigation Techniques needed for surface and ground water from national AGR-TN-5
4. Complete a pest management plan using 595 MN IR including all requirements for Additional Criteria. (Plan will be reviewed by ARC; planner must demonstrate understanding of PAMS techniques and mitigation practices/techniques)

Job Class IV (Beneficial Organisms)

1. Ability to plan Mitigation Techniques needed for beneficial organisms from national AGR-TN-9

Job Class V (All)

1. Understanding of limiting factors in organic cropping systems and use of pest management strategies common in Minnesota
  • Beating the Weeds Without Herbicides: Soil-Friendly Organic Weed Management

    • Join us for this webinar during which we will discuss weed management in organic agriculture and highlight soil friendly approaches to help maintain sufficient weed suppression and satisfactory organic yields. Weeds pose the #1 production hurdle to successful organic farming, and organic producers continually seek to optimize their weed management system for both soil health and production. This webinar will describe an ecological approach to integrated organic weed management including preventive measures based on the four NRCS principles of soil health, managing nutrients and moisture to favor crops over weeds, choosing weed-competitive crops and cultivars, and a diverse toolbox of weed control tactics that reduce the need for cultivation. Together, these practices can minimize the impacts of organic weed management on soil life and soil structure while maintaining sufficient weed suppression and satisfactory organic yields.

Related Practices & Terms

Integrated, Pest Management, Pest, IPM, 595

Webinar 2: Wetlands in a Watershed at the Landscape Scale

This second webinar, delivered in six segments, in NAWM and NRCS’s jointly-developed nine-part wetland training webinar series begins with an overview of where wetlands can occur in landscapes. Next, the webinar will explore the three key considerations with wetlands – hydrology, geology (soils), and vegetation. The presenters will cover the importance of hydrology for wetlands, including temporal changes and the importance of time scale, the soil-water relationship and parent/source materials when looking at hydric soils, as well as kinds of wetland plants and what plant patterns tell you about how water runs off the land and the wetland itself. This webinar will also cover influences from specific living resources, how different land uses affect wetlands (with a focus on agricultural land use), and how wetlands are a reflection of their surrounding landscape and watershed. The webinar will conclude with discussion on how wetlands change over time and tools that can be used to understand these changes. Participants will come away from the webinar with an increased understanding of patterns on the landscape, how to identify wetlands at the watershed and field level and prepare to look at individual wetland sites.

  • Part 2.0 – Welcome and Overview: Brenda Zollitsch, Policy Analyst, Association of State Wetland Managers  Time: 06:30
  • Part 2.1 – Introduction: Kendra Moseley, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service  Time: 16:50
  • Part 2.2 – Presenter: Stacey Clark, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Time: 17:00
  • Part 2.3 -- Presenter: Lenore Vasilas, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Time: 18:45
  • Part 2.4 -- Presenter: Stacey Clark, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Time: 24:30
  • Part 2.5 -- Summary:  Kendra Moseley, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service  Time: 08:15
Subject TTCP
Basic Tech Skills (Matrix)
Skill
Wetland ID & Ecology Basics
Format
Webinar
Source

NAWM, NRCS

Time
92 minutes
Training Type
Online Learning
Location

United States

Notes

Recorded August, 2018

Online Location
Webinar 2: Wetlands in a Watershed at the Landscape Scale

Keep it Clean Program now accepting grant applications

Contact: Mary Juhl; (651)-215-9008

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is now accepting grant applications for the Keep it Clean Program, a new initiative which aims to protect Minnesota’s lakes by preventing water pollution from garbage and other waste left on the ice of state waters during winter use activities such as ice fishing.

Eligible applicants include soil and water conservation districts, watershed districts, watershed management organizations, cities, counties, townships and joint powers organizations. The grants will support activities that help prevent pollution such as ice cleanup events and education and outreach efforts. Individual awards will range from $10,000 to $40,000.

“The Keep it Clean Program will engage winter sporting communities to help find ways they can proactively protect the resources Minnesotans rely on for ice fishing and other winter recreational activities,” said BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke. “Cutting down on waste will improve water quality and keep these lakes ready for more people to enjoy throughout the year.”

The Keep it Clean Program is funded by a one-time, $200,000 general fund appropriation made earlier this year. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 29. Learn more about how to apply.