Soil Health Events
REGISTRATION FOR SPRING 2023 SOIL HEALTH EVENTS (click here for link)
Workshops run for 4 days and field tours will be held in different parts of the county. Scroll down to see all events running from May 19 – May 25th.
EVENTS BY DAY
Friday, May 19th
COVER CROPS AND VIRTUAL CATTLE FENCING
Location: TAOS SWCD, 220 Chamisa Road, Taos, NM 87571
9:30 – 12 Presentations
TSWCD Soil Health Projects: Trials, Successes, & Next Step, Peter Vigil, District Manager, Taos Soil and Water Conservation District
Forage Cover Crops for Dryland
Leonard Lauriault, Forage Crop Management Scientist/Professor, NMSU
Leonard Lauriault has been a Forage Crop Management Scientist at New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari since coming to NMSU in 1997. Since 2012, he also has served as the Superintendent of the Agricultural Science Center. Having previously worked for 16 years at the University of Kentucky, Leonard holds an M.S. in Crop Science from that institution and a B.S. in Agriculture from Berea College and is a Certified Forage and Grassland Professional. Leonard is a 2022-23 recipient of an NM Healthy Soil Grant to study the effects of various cover crop species on soil health and nutrients when irrigated with treated municipal wastewater and to evaluate PFAS, nutrients, and microbial activity in soils having been irrigated with the water for a decade. His presentation will cover the following topics:
- Forage production and grazing of forage brassicas
- Intercropping cover crops into summer crops for winter grazing
- Naturalization by reseeding potential of selected winter annual legumes
- Performance as hay and under grazing of multiple species of winter cereals
- Forage yield and nutritive value of spring cereals and their influence on soil nutrients and available results of current healthy soil study comparing influence of cover crop species on soil health.
Virtual Fencing Options for Livestock
Dr. Craig Gifford, NMSU Cooperative Extension Beef Cattle Specialist
Craig Gifford is the Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at NMSU. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Idaho and has been at NMSU 7 years. Craig’s programming and extension activities center on increasing production efficiency and sustainability of ranches in the SW. Currently, Craig is working collaboratively to utilize virtual fence technology in extensive pasture systems in the SW. The presentation will provide information regarding the basic functions of virtual fence followed by a demonstration of virtual fence collars.
12 -1 Lunch and Resource Panel
1 – 4 Cover Crop field Visits in Taos Valley
Saturday, May 20th
BUILDING SOILS IN A DRYLAND CONTEXT
Location: TAOS SWCD, 220 Chamisa Road, Taos, NM 87571
9:30 – 12 Presentations
Recent News from TSWCD Soil Health Projects, David Gilroy, TSWCD Conservation Educator
Organic Amendments on Rangelands
Amy Larsen, Carbon Ranch Initiative, Quivira Coalition
Amy Larsen has worked for the NMSU Science Center in Alcalde where she participated in preliminary trials involving Johnson-Su Bioreactor compost and no-till drilled cover crops on irrigated cropland. In addition, she has worked for commercial composting & landscaping companies producing windrow compost, vermicompost, and compost teas. Since joining Quivira Coalition in early 2022, Amy has facilitated soil health workshops across the state in collaboration with NMACD, Healthy Soil Working Group, local SWCD & NRCS staff. This year, her focus is on organic amendments production (making compost and biochar on farm) and subsequent application on rangelands in NM, S. CO, West TX & eastern AZ.
Amy will discuss some preliminary case studies that Quivira has implemented in NM rangelands involving compost, biochar and bale grazing, and their effects to soil health. At this time, our information and lessons learned are anecdotal and we hope to provide more peer-reviewed research in the years to come.
Rangeland Management for Improved Soil and Grass
Charles Hibner, owner of Hibner Ranch & retired NRCS Soil Scientist
Charles was raised on a ranch, so he had a love for agriculture early in life. After graduating from NMSU with a degree in Soil Science, I had a thirty one year career with the federal government as a soil scientist creating soil survey reports. These soil survey reports are used by conservationist and others for making wise land use planning. I never lost the for ranching, and about five years into my career my wife Verna and I were able to purchase a small ranch adjacent to my dad’s ranch. A few years later, we were able to also purchase my dad’s ranch, and now run about 250 head of black Angus cattle in a cow calf operation. I feel like my expertise as a soil scientist has allowed me to perform very beneficial practices on the ranch.
12 -1 Lunch and Resource Panel
Rangeland Site Visits: 1-4 PM
Wednesday, May 24th
LOCAL SOIL HEALTH PROGRESS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Location: QUESTA VFW, corner of Sagebrush Road & NM-522
9:30 – 12 Presentations
Funding and Technical Assistance for Climate Resilient Agriculture
Lawrence Gallegos, Western Landowners Alliance
Meat market opportunities and by-product composting, Mercedes Rodriguez, TCEDC
Farming for Restoration: Native Seed Production with the Southwest Seed Partnership, Gwen Wion, Southwest Seed Partnership
12 -1 Lunch and Resource Panel
1 – 4 Cover Crops field visits in Questa
Thursday, May 25th
LOCAL SOIL HEALTH PROGRESS AND OPPORTUNITIES
Location: VADITO COMMUNITY CENTER, 5 Picuris Rd, Vadito, NM 87579
9:30 – 12 Presentations
Recent News from TSWCD Soil Health Projects, David Gilroy, TSWCD Conservation Educator
Meat market opportunities and by-product composting,
Farming for Restoration: Native Seed Production with the Southwest Seed Partnership
Gwen Wion, Southwest Seed Partnership
Gwen is the Southwest Seed Partnership (SWSP) Coordinator at The Institute for Applied Ecology’s Southwest Office in Santa Fe. She supports the SWSP, working towards its goal of increasing availability of locally sourced native seeds for ecological restoration in New Mexico and Arizona. Specifically, Gwen works with partners to identify targets for seed collections and oversees seed increase agricultural production. Gwen earned her BS in Ecological Restoration from Cal Poly Humboldt and her MS in Biology from the University of Northern Colorado, where her thesis focused on the implications of local adaptation for restoration seed sourcing.
Demand for native seed for ecological restoration is increasing, but few farmers in New Mexico are producing these crops. SWSP is a bridge between land managers who need native seed and native seed farmers in the region. We support this emerging industry by providing guidance, grant writing support, foundation seed, and funding to growers. Native seed production can diversify your crop portfolio while improving soil structure and attracting beneficial insects and pollinators. SWSP promotes native seed crops that intentionally have high levels of genetic diversity which can be more challenging than traditional crops as they can lack uniformity and information about best cultivation and harvesting practices. This sector is ideal for pioneering growers who enjoy research and want to develop new knowledge in an emerging field. The SWSP recognizes the value-added quality of locally appropriate native seed and educates potential buyers about the benefits of this premium product.
12 -1 Lunch and Resource Panel
1 – 4 Cover Crops field visits in Vadito