The 2009 Irrigation and Nutrient Management Meeting and Cover Crop and Water Quality Field Day will be held on Feb. 24 rain or shine.

The event will begin at 7:45 a.m. with the irrigation and nutrient management program at the Monterey County Agricultural Center, 1432 Abbott Street, Salinas, Calif:

7:45 – Registration, refreshments

8:00 – “Water Management of Lettuce: Field Scale Studies” – Mike Cahn, irrigation and water resources farm advisor, Monterey County

8:30 – “Nitrogen Management of Lettuce: Field Scale Studies” – Richard Smith, vegetable crop and weed science farm advisor, Monterey County

9:00 – “Nitrogen Management Project at Dole Fresh Vegetables Corporation” – Jim Wilkinson, Ag Manager, Dole Corp. and Tim Hartz, extension vegetable specialist, UC Davis

9:30 – “Using Vegetation and Polymers for Controlling Nutrient, Sediment, and Bacteria in Irrigation Run-off” - Mike Cahn

10:00 – “Practical Examples of Vegetative Strip Plantings on the Central Coast” - Sam Earnshaw, Community Alliance with Family Farmers

10:15 - Break

10:30 – “Nitrogen Availability from Organic Fertilizers” - Tim Hartz, extension vegetable specialist, UC, Davis

11:00 – “Field Evaluations of Liquid Organic Fertilizers on Strawberries” – Mark Gaskell, farm advisor, Santa Barbara County

11:30 – “Monterey County Water Concerns: Update on Groundwater status and Salinas Valley Water Project” - Curtis Weeks, Monterey County Water Management Agency

Noon – Conclusion, and travel to vegetable furrow bottom cover crop field trial demonstration at Sea Mist Farms, located off Espinosa Road between Hwy. 101 and Castroville

12:45 - Pizza lunch on site

1:30 - Field demonstration

“Discussion of the Impact of Low-Residue Cover Crops on Winter Fallow Beds on Runoff and Water Quality” - Mike Cahn and Richard Smith

2:30 - Conclude

The event sponsors include the University of California Cooperative Extension, Resource Conservation District, and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.

Continuing education, certified crop advisor, and water quality credits have been requested.

For more information, contact Richard Smith or Mike Cahn at (831) 759-7357.