Editor:

Preble Soil and Water Conservation District invites local farmers to an upcoming Cover Crop Field Day to be held Tuesday, March 27. The field day will be held at the site of the cover crop demonstration plot at the Leedy Farm, located at 3302 Eaton Lewisburg Rd., Eaton. The field day will begin at 9 a.m., conclude around 1 p.m., and will include a free lunch provided by La Crosse Seed, Buckeye Soil Solutions, and Peak Agronomy Solutions.

Speakers will include Hans Kok of the Soil Health Partnership, Scott Wohltman of La Crosse Seed, Eric Niemeyer of Buckeye Soil Solutions, and Matt Deaton of Deaton Soil Services. This group has a great deal of experience in working with cover crops, and they will discuss topics such as best management practices, pros and cons of different seeding methods, getting started with using covers, economics, and benefits to soil health. During the program, attendees will be able to look at the demonstration plot including seven different cover crop seed mixes and observe root growth in a soil pit.

Please join us to learn about how cover crops might fit into your farming operation. There is no cost to attend. Please RSVP by March 22 to 456-5159.

In addition, the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Preble County has been awarded a special cover crop initiative through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program for 2018. If you are a farmer, and you have cropland in the Sevenmile Creek watershed, you may be eligible. Applications for the program will be accepted for any of the following: converting tilled cropland to 100 percent no-till, implementing cover crops, or grid soil sampling with variable rate application of nutrients. For more information you may contact Jeff Barnes at 937-456-4211 Ext. 3. Deadline to apply is March 16.