Regenerative Ag Forum: Next Steps for Soil Health & Climate Mitigation

As of November 3rd,  final registration numbers have been sent to the caterer.  Registration will remain open, but note that if you are registering with this message visible, a meal is not guaranteed.  Thank you for you understanding.

What: Regenerative Ag Forum: Next Steps for Soil Health & Climate Mitigation

When: Sat., Nov. 6, 2021, 9:00 AM - 1:00 AM CDT  Registration and vendor tables open at 8:30 AM

Where: Straub Brothers, 7700 Nisbet Rd., Haubstadt, IN 47639

Who: Open to all farmers, landowners & partners interested in improving soil health, reducing crop costs & fertilizer run-off, building resilience to extreme weather events, & moderating climate change

Cost: FREE! Fees (approx. $20/person) are being generously underwritten by our sponsors; free lunch donated by DiLegge’s Restaurant

Speakers:

Sen. Mike Braun—Senate Ag Committee member; co-founder of bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Cau-

cus; co-sponsor of Growing Climate Solutions Act and Conservation & Innovative Climate Partnership Act,

both bipartisan bills

Erik Bender—respected Southwestern Indiana cover crop seed dealer

Barry Fisher— Natural Resource Conservation Service retiree who served as its Central Region Soil Health

Team Leader; national leader in regenerative ag, which he practices on his own grain & livestock farm in

Greencastle, IN

Roger Wenning— Greenburg, IN, farmer with about 900 acres of corn, soybeans, and wheat —100% no-till,

100% cover cropped, and 100% planted green. He also maintains about 55 acres of Conservation Reserve

Program plus 35 acres of alfalfa.

Doorprizes:

Toyota is sponsoring a $250 gift certificate for cover crop seeds from Erik Bender and his business, A Cut Above.

Randy Gerth & his Homesteader Hut business are donating a Complete Cypress Starter Hive (everything except the bees). Valued at over $100. https://homesteaderhut.com

Citizens’ Climate Lobby is sponsoring 5 lbs. of BioCoat Gold from Advancing Ecological Agriculture.  BioCoat Gold™ is a dry-blended biological seed treatment and inoculant. It is a blend of natural seaweed, concentrated humic substances and other nutrients designed to support germination and strong initial growth.  Valued at over $200. www.advancingecoag.com

Kevin Schmitt and his company, Triple S Ag Solution, are donating a 2.5 gallon jug of SumaGroulx.  This natural biological product has an assortment of 57 microbes plus beneficial fungi and beneficial bacteria that, when applied in furrow close to the seed, help the soil give all the nutrients the plant needs to thrive and be healthy. Valued at $100. www.triplesagsolutions.com/sumagroulx

Posey County farmer Carl Schmitt is also a long-time licensed massage therapist. Carl not only helped plan this forum but is also contributing a $100 gift certificate from his business, To the Point Therapeutic Massage. His business offers therapeutic massages focused on pain relief, stiffness, migraines and soreness. https://tothepointtherapeuticmassage.com

Jim Nelson and his AgriEnergy Solutions company are donating two 5-gallon buckets of MVP, a proprietary blend of beneficial microbials to support a balanced and healthy soil environment. MVP can be applied as foliar spray or ground soil application, and is appropriate for all row and field crops, commodity crops, and specialty fruits and vegetables. Call Jim at 812-630-2106 for more info. Valued at $75.

Vendors:

1. A Cut Above– Owned by Erik Bender, this Posey County (IN) business not only sells cover crop seeds but also provides custom application for farmers too busy with harvest to be applying the cover crop seeds themselves.

2. Advancing Ecological Agriculture– AEA develops regenerative agriculture systems that increase crop performance and profitability for large-scale producers. Its agronomy consultants assist growers in developing customized crop programs based on sap analysis and AEA’s experience. AEA targets soil and plant health to improve crop quality and yields through the use of its liquid mineral nutrition and biological products.

3.  “Ask the Local Pros’ Advice” – The following growers will be available to answer your questions and share their expertise about what regenerative/conservation ag practices work best in SW Indiana:

            a. Pat Bittner of Vanderburgh County’s Bittner Apiaries, Inc. does cover-crops and custom-planting of crops on 250 acres, where he grows corn, soybeans and wheat. He followed the principles of soil health on 40% of his acreage for 20 years, using cereal rye, but adopted those principles on all his fields the past 5 years, now using 8 – 12 way mixes, planting green and crimping.

            b. Doug Bergman is a Purdue grad with a bachelor’s in Agricultural Economics. After 8 years with Monsanto (first in pre-production seed corn, and then in corn testing and breeding), Doug began working for Frank Bender Farms (primarily in Posey and Vanderburgh counties with some in Gibson) 3 years ago.  Bender’s has been no-till around 25 years and cover cropped about 10. 

4. Citizens’ Climate Lobby  – is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging federal policies that will mitigate climate change. CCL has state affiliates across the country, plus local chapters of volunteers in most U.S. congressional districts.

5. DKD Genetics, Inc. – Its owner, Daniel Dorney, says this Vincennes business not only distributes and brands seeds, including those for cover crops, but also provides management information and services. Dorney paraphrases a well-known country song when he says, “We were promoting cover crops when cover crops weren’t cool.”

6. Homesteader Hut– Owned by Randy Gerth, this business currently sells bees plus all supplies needed for a beekeeper and honey.  In spring 2022, Homesteader Hut will also sell pollinator seed mixes and native plants.  He will have honey for sale at his table at the forum.

7. JMW Solutions LLC– Distributes aquaponics systems, and also consults on construction, plant/fish selection, harvest, storage, and logistics for those systems. JMW likewise designs renewable energy modules for agriculture systems, energy intensive businesses, and residences.

8. Nori, Inc. –is a startup founded in October 2017 with the mission to enable global engagement for mitigating and reversing climate change via carbon removal. Currently, Nori sources carbon removal by supporting farmers adopting regenerative agriculture projects that are sequestering CO2 from the atmosphere and have currently facilitated over $750,000 of purchased carbon credits directly to farmers. Head to Nori.com/for-growers for more info.

9. PUSH-IT – stands for Promoting Urban Soil Health In Towns, and it is an action group of interested citizens who hold various activities to educate the public over the definition of soil health and how to improve soil health and reach small growers to help them to restore and improve the fertility of their soil in Southwestern Indiana.

10. Soil & Water Conservation Districts – SWCDs are local units of government that manage and direct natural resource management programs at the local level. Districts work in both urban and rural settings, with landowners and with other units of government, to carry out a program for the conservation, use, and development of soil, water and related resources. SWCDs exist in every county in Indiana, are locally governed, and provide needed technology, funding and educational services.

11. Triple S Ag Solutions – is a seed and biological sales company located in Haubstadt, IN, and centered around its great customers. Now run by Kevin and Jordan Schmitt, this third-generation farming and seed business continuously tests new genetics from NuTech Seed on the Schmitt farm and test plots so that it can help you reach higher yields. Visit triplesagsolutions.com to learn more.

We would like to thank the following sponsors whose generosity made this event possible:

CCSI (Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative)

Earth Charter Indiana

Southwest Indiana Soil & Water Conservation Districts

PUSH-IT (Promoting Urban Soil Health in Towns)

DiLegge’s Restaurant

Citizens’ Climate Lobby

The Nature Conservancy

Toyota

Purdue Extension – Posey County

Homesteader Hut

Triple S Ag Solutions

Advancing Eco Agriculture

To reduce waste, attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable cup.  Tea, lemonade, coffee (regular and decaf) and water will be available.