Do cover crops pay? This is the question that will be answered at a meeting hosted by the Central Kansas Extension District (CKD) and the Kansas Grazing Lands Coalition (KGLC). The program is scheduled for Dec. 10 on the Kansas State UniversityPolytechnic campus. Coffee, donuts and sign-in is at 8:30 a.m. The workshop then runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This program is part of a multi-year Conservation Collaboration Grant from Kansas NRCS and will take place in the College Center Conference Room located at 2310 Centennial Road in Salina. Registration is $20 per person, which includes lunch, refreshments and handouts. This event will feature soil experts Doug Peterson and Candy Thomas as the keynote speakers. The two will cover a number of topics including soil health basics, carbon to nitrogen ratios and nutrient cycling, case studies on the economics of cover crops and evenrangeland health as it relates to soil and water quality. Peterson has been a Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) employee for more than 30 years. He is the Regional Soil Health Specialist for Missouri and Iowa teaching producers how soil health impacts virtually all natural resource processes. Peterson also operates a cow/calf and contract grazing operation where they utilize Holistic High Density Grazing to improve soil health while eliminating the need for most purchased fertilizer and harvested forages. Thomas has been with NRCS since 1994 and is now the Regional Soil Health Specialist for Kansas and Nebraska. She provides agronomic advice on soil health indicators, cover crops, water quality resource issues, erosion control, and training in conservation planning and management systems. Those planning to attend are asked to reserve their spot by Dec. 5 by calling (785) 392-2147 or emailing <a href="crensink@ksu.edu">crensink@ksu.edu</a>.

Program to look at economics of cover crops