Ask an Expert: November Soil Health Series

Virtual | Three sessions in November | all sessions 6:00- 7:00 pm

November is a great time to bring your soil health questions to farmers who have already worked through them, and to start shaping your plans for next year. American Farmland Trust (AFT) and Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development (CT RC&D) are hosting three Ask the Experts sessions with Connecticut growers who excel in soil health stewardship. We will feature three types of production. See below for session details and to sign up!

Session 1: Soil Health on the Small Scale No-Till Organic Farm | Tuesday, November 10
Yoko Takemura and Alex Carpenter, co-owners/operators of Assawaga Farm, grow one acre of certified organic vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruits with an emphasis on Japanese varieties using mostly hand-scale intensive practices. Alex and Yoko will take your questions about:

• Hand-scale no-till practices
• Mulching with organic materials
• Quality, on-farm compost production
• Building and maintaining permanent beds
• Managing weeds without tillage
• Fitting cover crops into a no-till system
• …and more!

Session 2: Soil Health on the Tractor Scale Vegetable Farm | Monday Nov 16
Will Dellacamera, owner-operator of Cecarelli’s Harrison Hill Farm, will take your questions about cutting back on tillage on larger, tractor-based operations. Bring questions about:

• Equipment choices and hacks
• Reduced-till cover crop termination methods
• Transitioning fields to reduced tillage
• Balancing soil health with field efficiency
• Planting every other bed to cover crop for soil health and weather resilience

Session 3: Soil Health on Livestock Farms | Thursday, November 19
New England Livestock and Grazing Specialists Jennie Kapszukiewicz and Max Breiteneicher bring deep experience in soil health and pasture management. Jennie is a working livestock farmer and grazier raising beef on pasture at Stone Hill Farm in Plainfield, Connecticut. Max has more than a decade of experience as a dairy farmer and still works as a cheesemaker alongside his technical support work with farmers in New England. Together, they will take your questions about soil health on livestock operations. Bring questions about:

• Grazing management
• Pasture and hayfield health
• Manure management
• Winter feeding areas

This series is made possible with support from Connecticut NRCS. Questions? Contact Caro, croszell@farmland.org