SARE
Annual Workshop
Become a member of the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmer's Association and receive information on upcoming events...
Information
on the recent
MANITOBA-NORTH DAKOTA
ZERO TILLAGE
FARMER'S ASSOCIATION WORKSHOP
held on
February 4-6, 2008
at the
Holiday Inn Riverside in Minot, North Dakota
Click here for a televised news story on the workshop
Click here for a second televised news story on the
workshop
Click here for a
Program Brochure
Click Here for a Program Poster
Click Here for a Workshop and Trade Show Annoucement
Questions or Comments? Email Alan at: mandak@westriv.com or call Alan at 701-442-5457
Gold Sponsors
SARE
Click Here for information about this year's Workshop Speakers
Information on the
MANITOBA-NORTH DAKOTA ZERO TILLAGE
FARMERS ASSOCIATION WORKSHOP
February
6 & 7, 2007
Victoria Inn, Brandon,
Manitoba
“Exchanging Innovative
Ideas”
Click Here for a copy of the Workshop brochure
The Workshop was approved for 15 Continuing Education
Units for Certified Crop Advisors.
Click Here for CEU details
Information on the 2006
Improving Soil - Enhancing
Profit Workshop
February 9-10, 2006
Ramkota Hotel, Bismarck, ND
The Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association held their 28th annual winter workshop at the Ramkota Inn in Bismarck on
February 9-10. ‘Improving Soil – Enhancing Profit.’ was the theme of the
2006 workshop.
The "ManDak", by which the organization is affectionately known, was created by farmers to facilitate the exchange of ideas, encourage zero tillage research, and disseminate zero tillage information.
This year’s workshop focused on the information needs of farmers transitioning to no-till and long-term no-tillers who want to make their farming operations even better, according to Bill Kuehn, the Turtle Lake, North Dakota farmer who leads the group.
"The success of this farmer-planned workshop has always been the balance between presentations by ‘experts’ in Ag research and farmer panels sharing what they have learned from ‘the-school-of-hard-knocks’ in implementing the latest in Ag technology," said Kuehn. "As farmers, we plan the program we’d like to hear."
This year, several farmers’ panels focused on ‘what we wish someone would have told us before we started no-till’. Farmers shared their experience and what they have learned on no-till fertilizer placement, seed placement and solid seeding of large-seeded crops, managing dry and wet soils, root enhancement products, strip tillage, and geospatial technology.
Many experts not normally heard in this region also shared their advice. Topics (and presenters) presented were: "The history of tillage" (Dr. Jon D Hanson, USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND), "What is soil compaction?" (Dr. Ying Chen, Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba), "Deep tillage: needed or not?" (Dr. Joe Pikul, USDA-ARS North Central Agricultural Research Laboratory, Brookings SD), "Building & enhancing soil biology" (Dr. TheCan Caesar-Tonthat, USDA-ARS Northern Plains Ag Research Laboratory, Sidney, Montana), "Glomalin: the scummy soil builder" (Dr. Kris Nichols , USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND), "ABC of soil health" (Susan Samson-Liebig, ND NRCS), "Advanced soil health strategies" (Dr. Mark Liebig, USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, Mandan, ND), "Macronutrient management in the early years of no-till" (Dr. Ramona Mohr, Brandon Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada), "The future of seed inoculants" (Gary Natawich, Philom Bios Corporation), "Soil amendments & post-applied fertilizer strategies" (Dr. Dave Franzen, NDSU Extension), "Plant physiology for farmers – plant growth regulators" (Dr. Ed Deckard, NDSU), "Strip tillage and precision farming" (Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska), "Geospatial technology for the farm" (John Nowatzki, NDSU), "Soil Tillage Intensity Rating System" (Dr. David Lightle, NRCS, Lincoln, NE).
Livestock have been proven to be sustainable both economically and environmentally throughout this region. Presentations for cattlemen were: "Integrating livestock into the farm enterprise" (Gabe Brown, ND Private Grazing Lands Coalition), "Rotational grazing for increased profit" (Gene Goven, ND Private Grazing Lands Coalition), "Annual forages for reduced feed costs" (Dr. Patrick Carr, NDSU), "Utilizing co-products for animal feeds" (Dr. Vern Anderson, NDSU), "Swath grazing of annual forages to reduce costs" (Jon Whetter, Hartney, Manitoba), "Managing manure to reduce costs in a zero tillage system" (Ron Wiederholt, NDSU), "Feeding beef in northern climates & cow utilization of crop residues" (Dr. Karl Hoppe, NDSU).
Biofuels development was also a major value-added topic at this program. Farmers heard presentations on: "Developing a biodiesel production plant" (Skip Hauth, President, BioEconomy Development Corporation, Grand Island, NY), "Developing wind power on your farm" (Jim Nichols, Private wind turbine owner and former Minnesota Ag Commissioner), "Developing an ethanol production plant" (Frank Kirschenheiter, Red Trail Energy project coordinator, Richardton, ND).
A trade show featuring the newest in innovative technology from international and local manufacturers and retailers also highlighted the event which rotates between Canada and the USA annually.
"Probably even more valuable than the presentations", says Kuehn, "were the Thursday evening ‘Farmer-to-Farmer’ bull sessions where farmers from both Canada and the United States got together for group discussions on no-till equipment, Ag chemicals, fertility & soils, and livestock. Sure, we planted group leaders and experts in each discussion room, but each year we find that it’s the farmers who provide most of the answers to each other’s greatest questions."