CHRISTIAN COUNTY, Ill. — The Dudley Smith Farm in Christian County will be the site for a field day on Wednesday, June 19. Participants will have the opportunity to learn more about soil health, beef cattle management and water quality. The farm is located off Route 29 between Taylorville and Pana, Ill. (2200 E. 600 North Rd.). Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the program will conclude with a meal served at 12:15 p.m.
University of Illinois Extension Unit 18 will host the field day event and will feature speakers from academia and the agricultural sector. Doug Peterson, regional soil health specialist from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, will discuss principles of soil health in grasslands. Additionally, beef cattle and crop management will be presented by Aaron Schafer of Schafer Stock Farm (Owaneco, IL). U of I Department of Crop Sciences faculty and staff will also provide research updates on the Dudley Smith Water Quality and Nutrient Management Project and the Pasture Water Infiltration Study.
An optional tour of the Dudley Smith Farm will be available to participants. The tour will give visitors an opportunity to view pasture paddocks and the water quality and nutrient management system featuring a woodchip bioreactor.
The program is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required by Friday, June 14. Participants may register online by visiting the Extension website at go.illinois.edu/cjmm or calling the Christian County Extension Office at 217-287-7246. For more information, contact Ashley J. Belle, Ph.D., Environmental and Energy Stewardship Educator, at the Christian County Extension Office.
— University of Illinois Extension, Christian County
For more articles out of Illinois, click here.