Late October is a time for harvesting grain, working cattle and cutting wood. In Nebraska, a pair of rural forestry workshops and field days are also on the horizon.

The Great Plains Biochar Initiative is sponsoring a free do-it-yourself biochar workshop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain Time on Oct. 23 at the Sandoz Center Atrium on the campus of Chadron State College in Chadron.

The workshop, a cooperative effort between the Nebraska Forest Service and Kansas Forest Service, includes a session covering the science of biochar, uses of biochar and an overview of production techniques.

Participants will then move outside to take part in biochar burn demonstrations. Kelpie Wilson, Wilson Biochar Associates, will discuss her 30 years of experience in renewable energy, sustainable forestry and resource conservation, including her focus over the past decade on biochar.

Biochar is a pure carbon product made through a process called pyrolysis, or the decomposition of organic matter like waste wood at very high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. Biochar soil amendments have been studied for years, with some potentially promising benefits like improvement to plant growth and yield, soil nutrient retention, soil moisture retention, and habitat for soil microbes.

Kansas workshops scheduled
Nebraska Extension researchers are studying improvements to feed efficiencies and a reduction in methane production from cattle by feeding small amounts of biochar in the feed ration. Additional biochar workshops in the series are Oct. 24 in Norton, Kan., and Oct. 25 in Pratt, Kan. Interested producers can email Heather Nobert for more information at [email protected].

The second daylong event for producers and rural landowners is the Nebraska Forest Festival at Horning Farm Demonstration Forest near Plattsmouth on Oct. 27, running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the event will include a walnut management and harvest workshop and hazelnut management workshop in the morning.

The event includes activities for the entire family including a “Nature-palooza,” featuring activities and educational events from a variety of University of Nebraska groups and area nonprofits; vendors and marketplace exhibitors showcasing locally produced items; and a beer garden, courtesy of The Hop Yard in Plattsmouth. Hiking trails around the forest will be open all day.

Producers interested in the biochar workshop or the Nebraska Forest Festival can register online at nfs.unl.edu/workshops.