Two Whirlwind No-till Expos in early June will focus on the benefits of using continuous no-till cropping systems to improve soil health. The June 3 Expo near Paxton and the June 5 Expo near Hartington will feature talks by no-till experts and experienced producers. Attendees also will be able to view a soil pit showing the effects of continuous no-till on soil health and a rainfall simulator showing how no-till reduces soil erosion.

Locations

Paxton. The June 3 event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Eldon Dyck farm at 1450 Road East 50, Paxton. The farm is 4 miles south of Paxton and 5.5 miles west on Road 50. Lunch will be at Ole's Big Game Steakhouse, followed by afternoon speakers there. For more information on the program and speakers see the event flyer.

Hartington. The June 5 event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Matt Kathol farm at 88192 564 Ave., Hartington. Lunch will be at the VFW Hall, followed by afternoon speakers. For more information on the program and speakers see the event flyer.

Presenters

No-till experts speaking at both events are: 

• Paul Jasa, UNL Extension engineer, will discuss no-till systems and planter and seeder set-up.
• Dan Gillespie, NRCS no-till specialist, will use a rainfall simulator to demonstrate erosion and discuss the conservation benefits of no-till; and
• Ray Ward, president, Ward Laboratories, Kearney, will discuss soil quality, benefits of no-till on soil health, and the soil horizons visible in the soil pit.

Producers speaking at both events are:

• Rick Bieber, continuous no-till producer, Trail City, S.D. will discuss his experiences since he began using no-till in 1987;
• Keith and Ben Thompson, continuous no-till producers for more than 20 years, Osage, Kan., will discuss their systems approach, including how they integrated crop and livestock production.

In addition, Mark Watson, continuous no-till producer from Alliance will be speaking on water management at the June 3 event at Paxton, and soil health specialist Jerry Hatfield of the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Ames will be speaking at the June 5 Hartington event. 

Sponsors

The No-till on the Plains Whirlwind  No-till Expos are funded through a grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and PrairieLand RC&D. Additional sponsors include No-till on the Plains, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, and several agribusinesses.

Registration

Registration for either event is $30 by May 27 or $50 at the door and includes the meal. To register, go to www.notill.org or call 888-330-5142.