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Soil health experts soon to visit

Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 10:16 AM

By Wes Dehne

Farmers looking to improve soil health can soon receive advice from a certified professional soil scientist. 

Ray Archuleta, who has spent his career researching and teaching soil health, is a featured speaker of “Digging Deeper,” a series of upcoming field days covering successful soil solutions. He will be joined by longtime soil conservationist Barry Fisher, recognized as a “No-Till Legend.”  

Archuleta has more than 30 years of experience as a soil conservationist, water quality specialist and conservation agronomist with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Since retiring, he founded Understanding Ag LLC and the Soil Health Academy LLC. Through these organizations, he teaches biomimicry strategies and agroecology principles to improve soil function. He also operates a 150-acre farm with his family in Missouri.  

Fisher recently retired after 39 years with the NRCS. Most recently, he was with the Soil Health Division where he served as Central Region Leader providing training, leadership and technical exchange on soil health management systems for NRCS, farmers, crop specialists and partners throughout the Corn Belt and Western and Northern Plains.  

Since retirement, Fisher has launched Fisher Soil Health LLC Consulting, where he remains active with state and national training and initiatives which advance technologies and adoption of regenerative farming and improving soil health. He was recently named the 2022 Certified Crop Advisor – Conservationist of the Year through the American Society of Agronomy. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Midwest Cover Crops Council and is a 40-year member of the Hoosier Chapter of Soil and Water Conservation Society.  

The purpose of the field workshops is to understand how ecosystem processes work and how they interface with the soil. Farmers, grazers and agriculturists will learn critical skills of observation, interpretation and understanding of soil function, which will help reduce the need of costly chemical and physical inputs. They also will learn the Haney Soil test and design a basic cover crop mix.  

The series culminates with a public event in Fulton County from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at 2803 S. 1300 East, Akron. It begins Aug. 14 with a workshop on interseeding in Miami County. A workshop on no-till and cover crops is Aug. 15 in Wabash County and is followed by one on grazing Aug. 16 in Pulaski County.  

Each workshop is to include a rain simulator, morning field visit, afternoon shop class time and a Q&A session. Cost for each one and the main event is $25, which includes lunch. Registration is open through Aug. 5 and limited to 35 guests at each field day.  

Sponsors of the series are Fulton County REMC, Beacon Credit Union, Arrow Head Country RC&D and Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative.  

To register or learn more, call Fulton County Soil and Water Conservation District Executive Director Megan Malott at 574-223-3220, Ext. 3, or visit https://ccsin.info/4ahSJms. The website includes contact information for those workshops in Miami, Wabash and Pulaski counties. 

      
Ray Archuleta and Barry Fisher

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