The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will sponsor the first Panhandle Soil Health Workshop in Bridgeport next month. The half-day event will take place on March 3 from 8-11:30 a.m. in the Prairie Winds Community Center.

The workshop is intended to appeal primarily to farmers and ranchers, but also to crop consultants and anyone with an interest in soil, said Bijesh Maharjan, Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center, and organizer of the event. Crop consultants will be able to receive continuing education units in nutrient management (2CEUs) and crop management (1 CEU).

The morning’s agenda will start with the basics about soil health. Topics and speakers include:

• Soil Quality Management vs. Quality Soil Management (Salvador Ramirez, Doctor of Plant Health, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).
• Soil Health Indicators plus Lessons from Historic Knorr Holden Plot (Bijesh Maharjan, Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).
• Grazing Cover Crops (Daren Redfearn, Forage and Crop Residue Systems Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln).
• Soil Health: What Works in Our Area (Panel discussion with producers and speakers of the day).

The idea for a soil health workshop was born out of numerous questions Maharjan receives on soil health, cover crops, how to build up the soil and how to integrate crop and livestock production on the same land.

Maharjan said he hopes the event will start a conversation about soil health and lead to potential topics for future meetings. He said he would like to hear from ag producers “what they’ve been doing, what’s working for them – then hopefully what more they want to learn about.”

“After the workshop we hope to receive feedback and design a more detailed program,” he commented, regarding the potential for future programs.

There is no fee to attend the March 3 Panhandle Soil Health Workshop, but advance registration is requested by Feb. 28 so organizers can provide enough printed material and snacks for attendees. Participants can register by email (bmaharjan@unl.edu), by phone (308-632-1372) or online.