The Soil Health Partnership is a five-year initiative to recruit demonstration farms to showcase soil health management practices like reduced tillage, cover crops, and nutrient management. It aims to establish research protocols to measure how these practices impact economic and environmental outcomes, publish findings, and support farmer networking. The organizational structure includes field managers in key states and a communications manager. Research will focus on economics, water quality, sustainability, and soil health. Outreach includes farmer events, an online library of resources and profiles, and an annual summit. Upcoming events include numerous field days on topics like cover crops and soil health across the Midwest states over the summer and fall.

1. Soil Health Partnership Farmer Panel – An update from the field
July 27, 2015
70th SWCS International Annual Conference

2. Soil Health Partnership: a Five-Year Initiative
 Recruit a network of demonstration farms
– Showcase management practices focused on soil health, e.g. reduced
tillage, cover crops, and advanced nutrient management
 Establish research protocols
– Measure connection between a diverse range of practices and
outcomes that matter: economic and environmental
 Publish findings and recommendations
– Highlight both the immediate and the long-term profitability and
sustainability benefits of healthy soil
 Support networking and technical assistance
– Help farmers and their advisors make decisions that result in positive
changes for profitability and sustainability of the soil
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3. Organizational Structure
 Administrator – Nick Goeser
 Field Managers
– Iowa
• Elyssa McFarland
– Illinois
• Jim Isermann
– Indiana
• Dan Towery and Hans Kok
 Communications Manager
– Jenna Higgins Rose
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4. SHP Demonstration Network Sites
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5. Research Approach
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Economics Water quality Sustainability
YieldSoil Health

6. Outreach and Communications for Farmers
 Farmer events
– Local field days, regional conferences, national events
 Web-based library and farmer profiles
– Tell the story of the SHP farmers
– Resources for cover crops, conservation tillage, etc
– Research results
 Convene annual “Soil Health Summit”
 NCGA Good Steward Recognition Program
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7. Upcoming SHP Events
SHP Field days
Round table discussions/field walks
Summer research meetings and webinars
Conferences
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8. SHP Events- SHP Field days and roundtable discussions
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Field Day Date Town State Notes
7/30/2015 Lynnville IA Joint field day with Key Co-op and ISA field day
8/5/2015 Postville IA Soil Health and cover crop establishment
8/5/2015 Forrest IL Dinner disussion with local resources
8/6/2015 Algona IA Cover crops 101
8/12/2015 Angola IN Cover crops - cover your assets
8/13/2015 Hindsboro IL Joint field day with Douglas County SWCD
8/17/2015 Decatur IL Cover crops and soil health
8/17/2015 Assumption IL Cover crops and soil health
8/24/2015 Shelby NE Cover cropping in semi-arid regions
8/26/2015 Bloomington IL Practical aspects of soil health and cover crop establishment
8/25/2015 Gilman IA Practical aspects of soil health and cover crop establishment
9/1/2015 Rock Valley IA Cover crops and soil health
9/2/2015 Storm Lake IA Cover crops, soil health and water quality
9/2/2015 Laurens IA Cover crops, soil health and water quality
9/9/2015 Eagle Grove IA Cover crops 201
9/9/2015 Frankton IN Joint field day with Purdue and CCSI
9/15/2015 Lake Wilson MN Interseeding and other technologies for Northern states
9/18/2015 Rutland IL Cover crops, soil health and water quality

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THANK YOU!