If you want a change of pace before harvest begins, why not go on the Conservation in Action Tour? This two-day event will take you to four central Indiana farms where neat things are happening related to conservation. The tour is slated for Sept. 5 and 6.

This is the 10th annual tour sponsored by the Conservation Technology Information Center. Abbey Nickel, communications specialist with CTIC, says it’s built around a theme: “Building Bridges: Past, Present and Future in Conservation Agriculture.” The goal is to explore how conservation farming has progressed in Indiana, emphasizing the bridges that have been built along the way to advance and strengthen its future.

“The Conservation in Action Tour puts people in direct contact with some of the most innovative conservation farmers in the country, and in direct contact with each other,” says Chad Watts, executive director of CTIC, based in West Lafayette, Ind.

Here is a brief look at the four farms that will be visited on the tour.

• Dan DeSutter, Attica, has a diversified operation with cash crops, cover crops and livestock.

• Tim and Clayton Muller, Oxford, will showcase drainage water management with control structures that minimize off-farm nutrient flow on their farm. The farm is also part of a broader local effort to improve water quality.

• Josh Cox, Lafayette, grazes cover crops to improve soil health and optimize nutrient use efficiency.

• Purdue University dairy farm, West Lafayette, is a commercial dairy that has closed the loop on manure management. All manure is used on the farm while water quality is protected. The dairy is also home to research activities.

During the tour, CTIC’s efforts in the Big Pine Creek watershed will also be discussed. Registration for the two-day event is $100, Nickel says. It includes a social evening in West Lafayette, plus breakfast, lunch and dinner on Sept. 6. It also includes round-trip transportation. It does not include hotel costs. A block of rooms are reserved at the host hotel, but the reserves will be listed on Aug. 22. So act quickly!

You can register at ctic.org/ciatours, or call 765-494-9555.

CTIC supplied material for this story.