Eight informative discussions with farmers & specialists
The Soil Health Institute (SHI), the non-profit charged with safeguarding and enhancing the vitality and productivity of soils, invites you to join eight online discussions with U.S. cotton farmers and soil health experts who are improving soil health and evaluating its return on investment.
The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Farmer Showcase events will be livestreamed beginning 2 p.m. (EST), Tuesday, February 2, 2021 and run every Tuesday through March. Cotton producers, consultants and other interested parties may register one time to participate in each showcase and receive notifications for each event. Registration is free but required to participate.
HEALTHY SOILS FOR SUSTAINABLE COTTON FARMER SHOWCASE
Illuminating Discussions with Cotton Growers and Leaders on Improving Soil Health in Eight States
BUILDING SOIL HEALTH – THE FOUNDATION OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
| Episode 1 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Soil Health Challenges in the Delta: What Works and What Doesn’t | February 2, 2021 | Mr. Sledge Taylor, Farmer, Como, MS Mr. Parker Frew, Delta F.A.R.M. |
SPOTLIGHT ON MISSISSIPPI
The Delta, with its fine-grained, dark soils and sometimes significant pressures from tough weeds such as Palmer amaranth or extreme weather such as a slow-moving hurricane, demands special skills from its cotton growers.
- Improving internal soil drainage
- Capturing more rainfall in the soil profile
- Increasing soil organic matter
| Episode 2 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Soil Health in Texas: Lessons from Long-term Study Sites | February 9, 2021 | Dr. Paul DeLaune, Texas AgriLife Professor Environmental Soil Science Dr. Jamie Foster, Texas AgriLife Professor Forages Dr. Katie Lewis, Texas AgriLife Associate Professor Soil Fertility and Chemistry HIGH PLAINS REGION Dr. Murilo Maeda, Texas AgriLife Assistant Professor and Cotton Specialist Dr. Jourdan Bell, Texas AgriLife Associate Professor and Extension Specialist Mr. Jeremy Brown, Farmer, Lubbock, TX Mr. Barry Evans, Farmer, Lubbock, TX ROLLING PLAINS REGION Dr. Emi Kimura, Assistant Professor, Texas AgriLife Agronomist and Extension State Peanut Specialist SOUTH TEXAS REGION Dr. Josh McGinty, Texas AgriLife Associate Professor and Extension Specialist |
SPOTLIGHT ON TEXAS
Explore the local challenges and benefits of adopting practices to improve soil health across Texas. Farmers’ experiences are compared to lessons from Texas A&M long-term study sites.
- Managing cover crops to minimize water use
- Improving soil moisture levels
- Increasing soil organic matter levels
| Episode 3 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Soil Health in Arkansas: Is it Profitable? | February 16, 2021 | Dr. Bill Robertson, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Cotton Agronomist Mr. Matt Fryer, University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Soil Instructor Mr. Adam Chappell, Farmer, Cotton Plant, AR Mr. Jess Flye, Farmer, Trumann, AR Mr. Wes Kirkpatrick, Farmer, Dumas, AR |
SPOTLIGHT ON ARKANSAS
Three cotton producers with different levels of experience related to soil health practices and activities – as well as different views about tillage and cover crops – discuss growing cotton and farming for soil health in Arkansas. This webinar dives into economic data as well.
- Addressing resistant Palmer pigweed pressures
- Improving water infiltration
- Reducing crusting
- Reducing expenses for profitability
| Episode 4 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Improving Soil Health in a Dry Climate | February 23, 2021 | Dr. Jeff Mitchell, University of California, Davis Mr. John Teixeira, Farmer, Firebaugh, CA Mr. Gary Martin, Farmer, Mendota, CA Mr. Cary Crum, California Ag Solutions Crop Consultant, Madera, CA |
SPOTLIGHT ON CALIFORNIA
Growers in a dry climate face specific cotton production challenges as they manage for moisture and overcome low organic matter, especially if they strive to build ecologically sensitive farming systems. California producers and soil health experts evaluate the best practices that hold promise in the state.
- Managing cover crops in an organic system
- Using soil amendments to improve soil (poultry and compost)
| Episode 5 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Soil Health in a Cotton and Peanut Rotation | March 2, 2021 | Mr. Peyton Sapp, University of Georgia, Burke County Extension Coordinator Mr. Burton Heatwole, Farmer, Millen, GA |
SPOTLIGHT ON GEORGIA
When cotton growers rotate with peanuts, they obviously navigate a less-traveled journey toward improved soil health, focusing on strategic crop rotation, best timing of cover crops, and balanced nutrient uptake. In this episode of Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Farmer Showcase, Georgia growers discuss practices that work well in their efforts to enhance long-term sustainability.
- Increasing soil organic matter
- Assessing benefits of multi-species cover crops
- Capturing more rainfall in the soil profile
| Episode 6 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Soil Health in a Cotton and Peanut Rotation | March 9, 2021 | Mr. Robbie Waters, Edwards Cotton Company, Scotland Neck, NC Mr. Zeb Winslow, Farmer, Scotland Neck, NC |
SPOTLIGHT ON NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA
When you’ve evaluated cotton bales for years and built relationships with area cotton producers, you’re bound to have insight into which production practices pay year-after-year. In this episode, we ask a local cotton ginner to share his perspective of soil health benefits for the area’s cotton producers. Then, we talk with a local producer about his experiences, especially focusing on cover crop seeding and termination.
- Does improving soil health impact cotton quality?
- Planting and terminating cover crops to reduce cost and maximize benefits
| Episode 7 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Lessons from 8 Years of Regenerative Agriculture | March 16, 2021 | Dr. Buz Kloot, Research Associate Professor, University of South Carolina Mr. Doug Newton, Farmer, Clio, SC Mr. Jason Carter, Farmer, Eastover, SC |
SPOTLIGHT ON THE CAROLINAS
After multiple years of experimentation and learning from their cotton fields, these producers discuss how to maximize the impact of soil health promoting practices on their Coastal Plain soils.
- Improving a degraded nutrient cycle
- Increasing soil organic matter
- Reducing resistant weed pressure
| Episode 8 | Date | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Why Soil Health is Important to the Future of U.S. Cotton | March 23, 2021 | Regenerative Agriculture Leaders: Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, Soil Health Institute Mr. Greg Bohrer, Walmart.org Dr. Jesse Daystar, Cotton Incorporated |
SPOTLIGHT ON REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
This conversation asks important questions of key regenerative agriculture leaders:
- Why are companies becoming so interested in soil health?
- Do data support that consumers are demanding regenerative practices? Are they willing to pay more for them?
- Will soil health and regenerative agriculture practices be mandatory in the future?
- Will growers see any financial reimbursements or incentives?
The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Farmer Showcase is part of the Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project, which provides farmer-focused education and training events delivered by Soil Health Institute scientists, partnering with local soil health technical specialists and farmer mentors who have implemented successful soil health management systems. The project aims to increase the adoption of soil health management systems among cotton producers while documenting environmental and economic benefits.
Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton is supported through the generosity of the Wrangler® brand, the VF Corporation Foundation and the Walmart Foundation. For more information about the project, visit http://soilhealthinstitute.org/soil-health-training/. To register and learn more about the virtual Farmer Showcase events, visit http://soilhealthinstitute.org/soil-health-training/farmer-showcase/.
See the news release.