NEWS YOU CAN USE ~ FEBRUARY 28, 2018
A monthly collection of recent news, upcoming events, and articles of interest
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"The No-Till Alliance is very fortunate to have the opportunity to offer these two respected speakers for farmers of PA to learn from,” noted Alliance President Jim Hershey when announcing this town hall event. “As we turn our thoughts to spring, their insights on soil health and insect control will be invaluable to every no-till grower. All are welcome to attend!”
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Lisa Blazure,
No-Till Alliance Board Member
Lisa lives in Woolrich, Clinton County and is the mother of two, mostly grown teenagers. She works for the Clinton County Conservation District and is the only non-farmer on the Board. She shares the Alliance’s vision of the value of mentorship and education.
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She frequently speaks at soil health meetings around the state, including the Mid-Atlantic Soil Health Conference last fall. She is the co-author of the publication
Soil Health in Field and Forage Production
in which she collaborated with Penn State University and an NRCS agronomist.
A biologist by training, Lisa says, “I love teaching farmers about ecology because that’s what soil health is all about – the relationships between the crops, soil microbes, and the insects.”
Lisa also supports the Alliance by serving on planning committee for our annual winter meetings and has been an active contributor to the expansion of the Alliance website.
In her spare time, Lisa enjoys traveling. She only has five more states to visit to fulfill her lifetime goal of visiting all fifty states. She also spends time on home improvement projects, gardening, camping, and finding any excuse to get out into the woods.
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As Alliance members continue to carry the Alliance message at the grassroots level, events like this, one hosted by board member Jeff Frey and Joe’s Machinery, are a crucial element in fulling the mission of the No-Till Alliance.
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Mission of the PA No-Till Alliance:
To promote the successful application of no-till through shared ideas, experiences, education, and new technology.
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Reminder: It's Time to Renew Your Membership for 2018
If you have not yet done so, please take time to renew your membership in the PA No-Till Alliance. Notices were mailed earlier this month and many of you have responded. If you have not yet sent in your renewal, there’s still time!
Click here
for a copy of the renewal form.
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March 8 – Western PA Regional Soil Health Workshop
The Alliance will help sponsor and have a display at the Western PA Regional Soil Health Workshop on March 8 in Butler, PA with Board member Leroy Bupp as a featured presenter. For more information contact Andy Gaver at 724-482-4800 ext. 3.
March 15 - Connecting Soils and Profits: No-Till, Cover Crops, Soil Health & Grazing
Columbia County Conservation District will co-host a Connecting Soils and Profits seminar on Thursday, March 15 at Pine Barn Inn in Danville, PA. The event will feature sessions by Ray Archuleta, Dr. John Tooker, and Steve Groff.
Click here
to download a registration brochure.
March 20 - Soil Health Workshop
Join Penn State Extension and Dr. Sjoerd Duiker on March 20 in Somerset, PA for an informal, discussion-focused meeting. Discussion topics include no-till, cover crops and cover crops mixes and up-and-coming management strategies such as planting green and interseeding. Speakers will go in depth on the science behind soil health and will offer practical solutions for implementing soil health strategies on your farm. Presentations and discussions are applicable to cash crops, forages and grazing in both conventional and organic operations.
Click here
for more information.
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USDA Unveils One-Stop Website for Producers
Recently, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue unveiled
www.Farmers.gov
, the new interactive one-stop website for producers maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Farmers.gov is now live but will have multiple features added over the coming months to allow agricultural producers to make appointments with USDA offices, file forms, and apply for USDA programs.
Farmers.gov is mobile device-friendly and can identify for farmers the most convenient USDA office locations. New functions will be added shortly, including an interactive calendar, farming success stories, an online appointment feature, digital forms, and a business data dashboard. Additionally, when the 2018 Farm Bill is signed into law, there will be plain language program descriptions and a tool to determine eligibility.
(Source: USDA)
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Thank You Alliance Sponsors
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Each year, a number of sponsors step-up to partner with the Alliance in fulfilling our mission to promote the successful application of no-till through shared ideas, experiences, education, and new technology. Without their invaluable support, the Alliance would not be able to have the success it enjoys. Thank you to our 2018 sponsors:
Gold Sponsors
Gro-Mor Plant Food Co.
Stroud Water Research Center
Silver Sponsors
Pioneer Hi-Bred Int'l
MM Weaver and Sons
AgChoice/MidAtlantic Farm Credit
Bronze Sponsors
Univest Bank
Melvin R. Weaver Crop Protection
Team Ag
Red Barn Consulting
Dawn Biologic
Fulton Bank
West Central Equipment
Binkley & Hurst ,LP
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association
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Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance
2215 Forest Hills Drive, Suite 39, Harrisburg, PA 17112
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