LEWISTON, Minn. — Two farmer-to-farmer Land Stewardship Project (LSP) discussion workshops focusing on soil building topics will be held in southeastern Minnesota Jan. 25 and 30, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On Jan. 25, the discussion workshop will be held at Recreation Café, 20 E. Main St., in Lewiston. On Jan. 30, farmers will meet at Good Times Restaurant, 118 Bissen St., in Caledonia. These workshops are free; to reserve a meal at either event, contact LSP organizer Shona Snater by Jan. 22 for the Lewiston meeting or Jan. 26 for the Caledonia meeting by calling 507-523-3366 or e-mailing ssnater@landstewardshipproject.org.
Both meetings will cover a range of topics, including cover crops, roller-crimping, no-till, interseeding and the grazing of cover crops. The opening speakers at the Lewiston meeting will include cover crop specialist TJ Kartes of Blooming Prairie, Minn., who has extensive experience helping Minnesota farmers successfully cover crop many acres, and dairy farmer Robb Miller of Lewiston, who has been fall cover cropping with triticale for seven years to provide supplemental feed for his cows.
The Caledonia meeting will feature farmer Bob Mierau of Caledonia, who raises no-till corn and soybeans and is experimenting with cover crop mixes, winter wheat and using a homemade roller crimper, and dairy farmer John Troendle, who farms with his family outside of Caledonia on a 500-acre dairy that is transitioning to organic and using cover crops to build soil and retain nutrients.
“This is a great opportunity to answer any cover crop questions people have and learn from other area organic and conventional farmers interested in building soil health,” said Snater.
DIRECTIONS: The Recreation Café is located on the corner of Main St. and N. Fremont St., and is just down the block from The Land Stewardship Project office in Lewiston. To attend the Caledonia event, from Minnesota Highway 44 turn northeast onto Old Highway Drive and take the turn for Bissen St.; continue straight until reaching the Good Times Restaurant.
-30-