11:00 a.m.-Noon
Tuesday, April 3
Online
This webinar will discuss how agronomists and crop consultants are leveraging agricultural drone technology to drastically grow their businesses and become "agricultural heroes" in the eyes of their customers. The focus of this webinar will be on the business case for drone use among agronomists and crop consultants with a minor focus on technical aspects of the technology. Check out
https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/567
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Federally Required Training for Wisconsin Produce Growers
8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 3 - Green Bay
Thursday, April 12 - Verona
Tuesday, April 17 - Eau Claire
DATCP will host required food safety trainings for Wisconsin produce growers as part of federal produce safety rules. For more information, go to
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Wisconsin Retirement System Employee Benefits
6:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 4
Thursday, April 19
Online
Whether you are just beginning your career under the
Wisconsin
Retirement
System (WRS) or close to
retirement
, join an ETF-hosted presentation on WRS employee benefits where we thoroughly review benefit basics, the Core and Variable Trust Funds and things to know and do to maximize your benefits as you move through your career. Those
within five years
or so of
retirement
will appreciate hearing about WRS annuity options, return-to-work rules, post-
retirement
annuity adjustments, and much more. Register for these webinars and many more at http://etf.wi.gov/member_education.htm#tab3.
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11:00 a.m.-Noon
Thursday, April 5
Online
We have all heard about the potential of drones and the great things they are going to do for crop production. However, there is limited information available to agricultural professionals on what drone platform and camera is needed to provide reliable operation and meaningful crop data. This webinar is designed to educate "boots on the ground" agricultural professionals on how to select a drone and camera to fit the needs of their operation. It will also provide an introduction on how to utilize the data to improve crop management. This webinar will focus on the technical aspects of this technology from a practical perspective. For more information, go to https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/571
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1:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 5
Online
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Ecosystem Services in Stormwater BMPs
April 5-6
Milwaukee
You will be introduced to the value of healthy functioning natural ecosystems for urban and suburban areas through the benefits and services they provide to humans ("ecosystem services"). Common examples of these services include air purification, carbon storage, reducing heat island effect, pollutant removal, recreation and education, community pride, and property values. Learn to identify potential urban spaces that could host natural ecosystems. We will also explore how well engineered ecosystems, such as vegetated stormwater best management practices (BMPs), are able to supplement natural ecosystems. Examine the potential for conventional BMPs (i.e. constructed stormwater wetlands, wetponds, vegetated filter strips, swales), as well as several green infrastructure strategies (i.e. porous pavement, rain garden, regenerative stormwater conveyance). Finally explore how designing to optimize ecosystems services may help achieve regional total maximum daily load (TMDL) goals. Go to
http://uwm.edu/sce/courses/ecosystem-services-in-stormwater-control-measures/ for more information.
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Friday, April 6 - Mineral Point
Tuesday, April 10 - Chilton
Monday, April 23 - Baldwin
Monday, May 7 - Abbotsford
Do you work with farmers who might be interested in trying managed grazing? If so, consider attending one of these free workshops (sponsored by SARE). Note that at each site there are two side-by-side workshops; one is for educators, and the other is for dairy farmers who are considering adding grazing or improving their current grazing system. Contact Kirsten at [email protected] for more information or assistance registering.
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10:00-11:00 a.m.
Tuesday, April 10
Online
The extent of soil microbial life and its functions will be discussed. Examples of soil microorganisms with particular roles in crop production will be used to illustrate how knowledge of these soil microbial workers can inform agricultural management practices. Research findings regarding the effects of management practices (e.g., crop rotational diversity, cover cropping, tillage) on soil microorganisms will be presented. The overall goal of this webinar is to promote understanding of soil microorganisms and their responses to their environment so that producers and their advisers can select practices with the best results for their operation. More details available at https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/565
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1:00-2:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 10
Online
High biomass cover crops are a key to improving soil health, with many farmers growing an additional 10,000 lbs. or more of plant material resulting in a thick (>6") layer of mulch. These conditions require a different strategy for planting to ensure good seed to soil contact. This webinar will cover adjustments to planter, drills and other equipment to ensure good seed to soil contact. For more information, go to http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/no-tilling-through-high-residue-conditions
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Soil Investigations for the New NRCS CPS 313 Requirements
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 11 - Luxemburg
Wednesday, April 18 - Sobieski
Wednesday,
August 15 - Waupaca County
The training is a field exercise conducting an actual site soils investigation. Participants will have a hands-on opportunity to log a test pit by visual means and become familiar with NRCS Engineering Field Handbook Chapter 4, Exhibit A, requirements. You will g
ain a basic understanding of the tools needed and methods used to log soil tests pits to the current standard.
Contact Drew at
[email protected] to register.
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11:00 a.m.-Noon
Wednesday, April 11
Online
This webinar will discuss five best practices for adult learning that can be employed by farm advisers and educators. The five practices are: 1) provide a safe environment; 2) give learners choice in content, process, and outcomes; 3) identify learners' knowledge and views of content; 4) link content to learners' prior knowledge; and 5) let learners work together to interpret the content in relation to their situation. These best practices are based on an understanding of how the brain learns-making meaning from new information by making associations between new and past experiences. Farm advisers and educators who have been trained in these practices report changes in their meetings that result in more confidence and satisfaction as advisers and educators. Farmers also report more enjoyment from meetings and improved learning. Find out more information at https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/573
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Legal Implications of Pesticide Drift
11:00 a.m.-Noon
Wednesday, April 11
Online
Pesticide drift damage cannot only have economic costs but can also result in litigation. We will review the current state of pesticide drift litigation and what sprayers and producers need to be aware of if involved in litigation. Go to https://learn.extension.org/events/3272
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Conducting On-Farm Variety Trials to Manage Risk for Organic and Specialty Crop Producers
1:00-2:15 p.m.
Wednesday, April 11
Online
The goal is to provide horticultural crop and small grain growers with the skills and information necessary to conduct effective on-farm trials and manage risk in crop variety and seed sourcing decisions. The webinar includes new perspectives from organic certifiers, updated methods for conducting simple and effective on-farm trials, and an introduction to new user-friendly online data analysis tools. Pre-registration information can be found at https://learn.extension.org/events/3282
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Field Conservation Planning
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 12
Blue Mounds
Become more well-rounded Conservation Planners in the field. This training will help planners identify resource concerns and identify what conservation practices can be used to solve these concerns and where they should be placed. Training will include erosion control, feedlot runoff, milk house runoff and feed storage evaluation. For more details and to register go to https://wisconsinlandwater.org/training/statewide-training-events or contact Penny at [email protected]
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Discussing Climate Change with Agriculture and Natural Resources Audiences: Professional Perspectives
Noon-1:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 12
Online
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Crafting Winning LFPP/FMPP Proposals
1:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 12
Online
This webinar will explore best practices for planning and writing Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)/Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) proposals, emphasizing that designing effective and impactful goal-based programs is the foundation of successful grant applications. We will put special emphasis on addressing the opportunity's evaluation criteria, ensuring you put your best foot forward. This webinar will be geared to those who are less experienced in writing grant proposals, particularly proposals for US government grants. Register at https://nocofood.org/two-amazing-webinars-in-april/
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The National Extension Web-mapping Tool (NEWT)
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 12
Online
NEWT is designed to be user-friendly for staff who have no Geographic Information System (GIS) experience but will also be useful for those familiar with GIS. NEWT provides relevant spatial data at a variety of scales (national, state, county) in a variety of formats (maps, tables, graphs) which can be useful from the standpoint of a single county, an entire state, and across typical CES boundaries on a regional or national level. This webinar will explore the rationale and approach behind the development of NEWT, will demonstrate how NEWT can be used today, and will provide details about how to help guide the future of the NEWT. Go to
https://learn.extension.org/events/3351
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Identifying Invasive Plants & Restoring with Natives
8:30 a.m-Noon
Saturday, April 14
Belmont
Learn how to identify terrestrial and aquatic invasive plants on your land and in your community. Find out how to report what you find to invasive species coordinators. We will also discuss how to restore areas to a healthy natural state using native plants. Learn about cost-
sharing programs to help you effectively manage invasive plants on your land. RSVP to Jeff at [email protected]
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Farmbeats: An Emerging Farm Level Communication Technology
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 18
Online
Although sensor technology can help agriculture, its adoption is limited because farms often do not have power or Internet connectivity in the field. Microsoft Research is working towards an end-to-end approach, from sensors to the cloud, to solve the problem.
The goal is to enable data-driven farming. Data, coupled with the farmer's knowledge and intuition about his or her farm, can help increase farm productivity and also help reduce costs. As part of the FarmBeats project, Microsoft Research is building several unique solutions to solve these problems using low-cost sensors, drones, and vision and machine learning algorithms. Check out http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/farmbeats-an-emerging-farm-level-communication-technology
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The Art of Delegation
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 19
Online
When done well, delegation is one of the most powerful skill sets for leaders. For many, however, it is one of the most difficult to start. Delegation can feel like a loss of control and it can feel like it takes more time. However, it also provides growth opportunities for others, which supports succession planning in your organization. Another benefit of delegation is that it frees up time on your schedule to focus on those activities that only you can do, and it provides opportunity for you to take on new challenges and practice new skills. Check out https://www.agronomy.org/education/classroom/classes/574
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Robotic Dairy Farm Tours
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Rethinking the NRCS MLRA Field Project
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 19
Online
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) staff will demonstrate how digital mapping techniques are foundational to applying field-based, soil property, and hydrology investigations to the landscape with limited resources. The methodology for a comprehensive MLRA update project combined traditional mapping conventions and correlation with digital mapping techniques, as gleaned from NSSC-sponsored training. The resulting products advanced seamless soil survey (SSURGO) while further refining the definition of soil variability in raster soil survey products. On day of the webinar, click the following link to join: http://nrcs.adobeconnect.com/r4npr03zrjm/
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Tips for a Healthy Transition into Retirement
11:00 a.m.-Noon
Friday, April 20
Online
Is retirement in your future? Are you ready to relax and sail off into the sunset? Before you do, there are some things about retirement, health, social engagement, and time management that you should know! Join us to learn more and better prepare yourself for your future. Find out more at https://learn.extension.org/events/3407
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Equipment and Facilities for Managing Manure on Small Farms
1:30-2:40 p.m.
Friday, April 20
Online
The number of small farms is increasing in much of the country, ensuring up-to-date information is available is important to protect water and environmental quality. This webinar will focus on some of the farm and manure management needs of smaller farms. Discussion will include: conservation structures and facilities, waste management facilities used on smaller commercial poultry farms, composting systems on equine farms, and different equipment options available to small farmers. Check out https://learn.extension.org/events/3402
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Storm-Resilient Urban Forests: The Role of Species Selection & Maintenance Pruning
Noon-1:00 p.m.
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Funding Opportunity to Support Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Veterans
1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 25
Online
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Eastern Wisconsin Non-native Phragmites Summit
9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Friday,
April 27
Oshkosh
Non-native Phragmites have invaded eastern Wisconsin, and continues to spread. So many partners are needed for effective prevention and control! Click on the link to register:
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Grade Stabilization Structure Tour
9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 31
Janesville area
Training objectives:
- Show some history of structures installed by CCC to control gully erosion back in 1933.
- Importance of maintaining these structures. Discuss ways to repair some of these structures that have failed.
- Look at the planning that went into putting these structures in.
- Look at a couple embankment dams that have been put in more recently if time permits.
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Our Farms, Our Future
April 3-5
St. Louis, MO
Science & The American Experiment Conference
April 6
Madison
Wisconsin Rural Summit
April 18-19
Baraboo
Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention
April 18-20
Stevens Point
Heeding the Call (
Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration)
April 20-22
Stevens Point
Leading the Charge-Local Government Summit
April 23-24
Eau Claire
Annual Watershed and Stormsater Symposium
April 24-26
Dubuque, IA
Wisconsin Women in Government
April 25
Madison
Clean Rivers, Clean Lake Conference
April 26
Milwaukee
Great Lakes Water Safety Conference
April 26-27
Evanston, IL
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