After a successful inaugural conference in 2016, the second annual Soil Health Conference will be held at Iowa State University in Ames on Feb. 16-17. This year’s event will have two full days of presentations on a wide variety of topics concerning soil health, with guest speakers from around the country.

Theme for the 2017 Soil Health Conference is “Building Soil Health for a Healthy Environment and Farm Profitability.” That’s an important theme, given the challenges farmers face with production and environmental issues, says Mahdi Al-Kaisi, ISU Extension soil management specialist and chairman of the planning committee.

Facing challenges with production and environmental issues
Presentations will address concerns of farmers, agronomists, ag consultants, soil scientists, Extension professionals and policymakers. Speakers and topics will appeal to anyone who is interested in learning about improving soils for a sustainable agriculture.

“The goal of this conference is to focus on management practices that influence soil health, sustain productivity and reduce agriculture’s footprint on the environment,” says Al-Kaisi. “Experts from across the country will provide needed information and resources to help farmers and agronomists not only in Iowa, but across the Midwest.”

The 2017 Soil Health Conference plans to build off of the foundation laid by the 2016 conference, expanding to a more extensive two-day program.

A number of knowledgeable speakers and interesting topics
Over 33 speakers from academia, USDA, agriculture industry, farmers, students and the private sector will present throughout the two-day conference. Some of the topics included in this year’s event are economics of soil health, linkage between soil health and water quality, field indicators or observations for quick soil health field assessment, and soil assessment tools.

There will also be a panel of farmers with a long history of adopting conservation systems who will share their experiences in making such systems work economically.

CCA credits to be offered, and a display of research presentations
Soil and water continuing education credits will once again be offered to certified crop advisers, and the research poster presentation and display will continue to be a part of the event.

To register for the 2017 Soil Health Conference, go online before or on Feb. 1 and pay only $175. After Feb. 1, a late registration fee of $210 will take effect. Student registration is $85. If you plan to submit a poster, abstracts must be submitted by Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. for consideration. More information on registration and poster submission guidelines can be found online.

For more details regarding the Soil Health Conference or for more information about soil health, contact Mahdi Al-Kaisi at 515-294-8304 or [email protected]. For questions regarding registration, contact Registration Services at [email protected] or 515-294-6222. Join the discussion on Twitter using the hashtag #2017SHC.