Join us to learn how livestock producers are connecting with landowners with available cropland and forage for grazing! Cindy Zenk, the Coordinator for the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, will explain how farmers in South Dakota are using the South Dakota Grazing Exchange to connect with one another and share available resources. Similar grazing exchanges are used in other states to provide livestock owners with needed forage and allow crop farmers and landowners to integrate livestock on their land. Livestock are vital for building soil health and grazing exchanges provide opportunities to integrate them across more acreage while also adding an additional revenue stream for landowners.

Contact us or become a member to receive the meeting information!

Join us for our September Soil Health Hour to learn from livestock farmers Josh Teague from Running T Farms, Josh Harris from Harris Homeplace Farm, and Joe Shenk from Shenk Family Farm! They will share how they are preparing their farms for the fall and winter seasons to promote livestock health and soil health. All attendees are encouraged to ask questions and share experiences from their own farms during the meeting.

Contact us or become a member to receive the meeting information!

Join us for our August Soil Health Hour with Evan Davis, Director of the Farmland Preservation Division within the NC Department of Ag! Evan will share how the Division works with farm owners to protect land using long-term easements and fund the easements through the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. Building healthy soil starts with preserving North Carolina’s farmland, so the work that Evan and his team are doing is an important part of the Coalition’s mission to regenerate healthy soils!

Contact us or become a member to receive the meeting information!

Join us for our May Soil Health Hour with Dustin Adcock, Agronomy Sales Manager with Southern States Cooperative. Dustin will share his experiences working with farmers to be more targeted with nutrient applications and soil amendments. He focuses on using amendments that have long-term soil quality benefits, such as humates and gypsum, to address deficiencies. Dustin also researches and works with microbial amendments and inoculants to target specific goals or issues.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences during the meeting! Dustin will be happy to answer questions about the products he does and does not recommend to farms and ways to focus on long-term soil health improvements.

Contact us or become a member to receive the meeting information!

Join us for the April Soil Health Hour to learn from Emily Ball, a soil health educator with Soil Health Institute! Emily will share the current projects Soil Health Institute is working on and ways farms can get involved with their work, including receiving free soil health reports from them by participating in their soil testing programs. Emily will also share the three recommended measurements that Soil Health Institute uses to track the impact of management changes on soil health. All attendees are encouraged to ask questions and share experiences from their own farms during the meeting.

Contact us or become a member to receive the meeting information!

Join us for the March Soil Health Hour to learn from Austin Unruh, Founder of Trees for Graziers! Austin will share silvopasture considerations and best practices to improve the productivity of pastures, forage availability, and animal health. All attendees are encouraged to ask questions and share experiences from their own farms during the meeting.

Contact us or become a member to receive the meeting information!

The NC Forage and Grasslands Council Winter Conference will be held in Hickory on February 22nd with guest speaker Dr. Allen Williams! This is an excellent opportunity for Q&A and meeting other farmers that are focused on soil health!

Visit the NCFGC website to register: Register Here

Join us for the February Soil Health Hour to learn from Lance Gunderson, the President of Regen Ag Lab! Regen Ag Lab is a leading provider of soil health analyses and frequently works with farms to help them track progress over time and understand the impact their practices are having on soil health. You can learn more here: Regen Ag Lab.

The Zoom invitation has been sent to all Soil Health Coalition members. Please email us with any questions about the event!

Don't miss North Carolina's largest soil health event of the year! The North Carolina Soil Health Coalition Annual Meeting will gather farmers from across the state to learn from one another and share their experiences using soil health practices on their farms. Learn from guest speakers and other farmers about the practices they've used to improve the soil while increasing farm profitability and long-term success. Join us for the farm tour at Union Grove Farm during the afternoon and the Annual Meeting and dinner that evening. The farm tour will be held from 1pm-4pm and the Annual Meeting will be held from 5pm-8pm.

Reserve your seat buy purchasing tickets here: Purchase Your Ticket. A limited number of tickets are available for the event.

Coalition members are invited to attend the November 2023 meeting of the Coalition. In addition to the educational program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update regarding the Coalition’s 2023 strategic plan and address active business items with the members. This is an invitation only, virtual event. Contact the Coalition for the meeting invitation.

Coalition members are invited to attend the October 2023 meeting of the Coalition. In addition to the educational program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update regarding the Coalition’s 2023 strategic plan and address active business items with the members. This is an invitation only, virtual event. Contact the Coalition for the meeting invitation.

The Central North Carolina Soil Health Tour will be held in Iredell County and will include tours to farms that are implementing soil health practices, lunch with soil health demonstrations, and fellowship with other farmers in attendance. Stay tuned for the full agenda and RSVP instructions!

Coalition members are invited to attend the September 2023 meeting of the Coalition. In addition to the educational program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update regarding the Coalition’s 2023 strategic plan and address active business items with the members. This is an invitation only, virtual event. Contact the Coalition for the meeting invitation.

Coalition members are invited to attend the August 2023 meeting of the Coalition. In addition to the educational program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update regarding the Coalition’s 2023 strategic plan and address active business items with the members. This is an invitation only, virtual event. Contact the Coalition for the meeting invitation.

Coalition members are invited to attend the June 2023 meeting of the Coalition. Members will be joined by Amy Fulford from Brooks Contractor in Goldston, NC for the June meeting of the Coalition. Brooks Contractor has served central NC since 1990 by beneficially recycling organic wastes and educating farms about best practices for compost utilization. Amy will share basic information about how their compost is produced, how compost benefits the soil and crops, and considerations for using compost on farms including costs, application rates, and types of compost. Contact the Coalition for the meeting invitation.

Coalition members are invited to attend the May 2023 meeting of the Coalition. We will be joined by Keith Berns, the Co-Founder of Green Cover Seed, one of the major cover crop seed providers and educators in the United States. Keith no-tills 2,500 acres in South Central Nebraska and utilizes decades of experience to educate others about cover crop selection and soil health. Following the program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update. This is an invitation only, virtual event. Contact the Coalition for the meeting invitation.

Coalition members are invited to attend the April 2023 meeting of the Coalition. We will be joined by Dale Strickler, a well-known farmer, soil health consultant, and the author of Managing Pasture. Dale will share his knowledge of warm season cover crop and forage opportunities for farms in North Carolina. Following the program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update regarding the Coalition’s 2023 strategic plan. This is an invitation only, virtual event. Contact us for the meeting invitation.

Members are invited to attend the March 2023 meeting of the Coalition. The meeting topic is soil testing. Join us to learn from technical experts and Coalition members about the methods for implementing an improved soil testing program on your farm this spring. Following the program, the Board of Directors will provide a brief update about the Coalition’s 2023 strategic plan and upcoming goals and activities for the year. This is an invitation only, virtual event.