No-till on the Plains is moving forward with plans for an in-person Winter Conference with several changes to follow local health guidelines during the ongoing coronavirus epidemic.

The event will be held at Botanica Wichita on Jan. 26, 2021. It will be limited to 200 registrations, and if local circumstances change to prevent an in-person event, the entire conference will be moved to an all-virtual format.

Online registration is now open for growers, industry partners and soil health enthusiasts at notill.org.

Executive Director Steve Swaffer says that networking and collaborative discussions are so much a part of the event that organizers felt it was important to try to plan for an in-person event that will let some of that traditional exchange take place.

This is the 25th year for the conference, which offers international, national and state experts focused on improved soil health systems for increased farm profits. The 2021 Winter Conference features a lineup of farmers, soil health researchers and conservation professionals, all of whom share their expertise and knowledge with those attending the conference.

The registration price is $150. Special rates for spouses and students are available but no walk-in registrations will be allowed. Registration will be allowed until capacity is reached.

Physician and author Darin Qualman will be included in this year’s speaker lineup to talk about his book Civilization Critical, which focuses on civilizations, energy, food, and material flows. 

Civilization Critical looks at the big picture and the long term. It tackles the big questions and big ideas of history and the modern world: how food systems work, the spread of railways, the rise of industry, the dawn of the consumer age, the transformative effects of the steam engine, and how humans wrest fuels from the Earth.

Returning this year is John Kempf, one of the most requested speakers from the last five years. Kempf will focus on nutrient dynamics, providing insight into how to reduce fertilizer input costs through soil and plant health.

Regenerative agriculture producer Chris Teachout from Shenandoah, Iowa, rounds out the speaker lineup.

Dwayne Beck, long-time soil health advocate and director at the Dakota Lakes Research farm, will also be speaking as a moderator and panelist.

This year’s sponsors are Green Cover Seed, Exapta Solutions and AgBiTech. More information can be found at notill.org or by calling 785-210-4549 for registration information. Pre-registration online is required.

This article includes content provided by No-till on the Plain