SHI Sets Online Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton Farmer Showcase Events
January 25, 2021 The Soil Health Institute (SHI) is holding eight online discussions with U.S. cotton farmers and soil health experts who are improving soil health and evaluating its return on investment as part of its Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project.
These farmer showcase events will be livestreamed beginning February 2 at 2:00 pm Eastern and will 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 online at no charge, but it is required to participate.
Each session will highlight ongoing soil health efforts in a different state or related topic. The event begins with a spotlight on Mississippi, followed by Texas, Arkansas, California, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, and the Carolinas. The final session in March will focus on regenerative agriculture.
Here’s the session lineup:
Episode 1, Feb. 2 – Soil Health Challenges in the Delta: What Works and What Doesn’t
Features Sledge Taylor, farmer from Como, MS, and Parker Frew with Delta F.A.R.M. to discuss:
- Improving internal soil drainage
- Capturing more rainfall in the soil profile
- Increasing soil organic matter
Episode 2, Feb. 9 – Soil Health in Texas: Lessons from Long-Term Study Sites
Features Dr. Paul DeLaune, Dr. Jamie Foster, Dr. Katie Lewis, Dr. Murilo Maeda, Dr. Jourdan Bell, Dr. Emi Kimura and Dr. Josh McGinty – all with Texas AgriLife; Jeremy Brown and Barry Evans, both farmers from Lubbock. The group will discuss:
- Managing cover crops to minimize water use
- Improving soil moisture levels
- Increasing soil organic matter levels
Episode 3, Feb. 16 – Soil Health in Arkansas: Is it Profitable?
Features Dr. Bill Robertson and Matt Freyer of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension; Adam Chappell, farmer from Cotton Plant, AR; Jess Flye, farmer from Trumann, AR; and Wes Kirkpatrick, farmer from Dumas, AR. The group will discuss:
- Addressing resistant palmer pigweed pressures
- Improving water infiltration
- Reducing crusting
- Reducing expenses for profitability
Episode 4, Feb. 23 – California: Improving Soil Health in a Dry Climate
Features Dr. Jeff Mitchell of the University of California, Davis; John Teixeira, farmer from Firebaugh, CA; Gary Martin, farmer from Mendota, CA; and Cary Crum, California Ag Solutions Crop Consultant from Madera, CA. The group will discuss:
- Managing cover crops in an organic system
- Using soil amendments to improve soil (poultry and compost)
Episode 5, Mar. 2 – Georgia: Soil Health in a Cotton and Peanut Rotation
Features Peyton Sapp, University of Georgia Extension Coordinator in Burke County, GA; and Burton Heatwole, farmer from Millen, GA, to discuss:
- Increasing soil organic matter
- Assessing benefits of multi-species cover crops
- Capturing more rainfall in the soil profile
Episode 6, Mar. 9 – Soil Health: View from the Cotton Gin
Features Robbie Waters of Edwards Cotton Company and Zeb Winslow, farmer – both from Scotland Neck, NC – to discuss:
- Does improving soil health impact cotton quality?
- Planting and terminating cover crops to reduce cost and maximize benefits
Episode 7, Mar. 16 – The Carolinas: Lessons from 8 Years of Regenerative Agriculture
Features Dr. Buz Kloot, University of South Carolina; Doug Newton, farmer, Clio, SC; and Jason Carter, farmer, Eastover, SC, to discuss:
- Improving a degraded nutrient cycle
- Increasing soil organic matter
- Reducing resistant weed pressure
Episode 8, Mar. 23 – Regenerative Agriculture: Why Soil Health is Important to the Future of U.S. Cotton
Features Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, Soil Health Institute; Greg Bohrer, Walmart.org; and Dr. Jesse Daystar, Cotton Incorporated, to discuss:
- 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, which aims to increase the adoption of soil health management systems among cotton producers while documenting environmental and economic benefits, is supported through the generosity of the Wrangler brand, the VF Corporation Foundation and the Walmart Foundation.
Based on information provided by the Soil Health Institute
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