At Monty’s Farm Forum, growers get “the dirt” on maximizing soil health

More than 150 farmers from all over the country came a day early for the 2014 National Farm Machinery Show to attend the annual Farm Forum, hosted by Monty’s Plant Food Company.

With the theme “Plant Ideas for Growth,” this year’s forum on February 11 featured industry experts who spoke on the topic of soil health and crop optimization. Guest speakers included Dr. Rattan Lal, distinguished professor of soil science and director of the Carbon Management Sequestration Center at The Ohio State University; Dr. Jerry L. Hatfield, director of the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment; Dr. Howard Brown, manager of agronomy services for Growmark; and Joe Dedman, Monty’s Vice President of Agronomy.

Dr. Lal conducts research in carbon sequestration, soil dynamics and processes, and natural resources management. Soil erosion and soil quality figure prominently in his current work. He told attendees that that improving soil quality is an ever-growing, critical need. Managing soil organic matter is important to managing the impact of climate change, he said.

Dr. Hatfield’s research focuses on quantifying the resilience of cropping systems to climate change. He spoke more specifically on how to manage soil degradation and the opportunities he sees for enhanced production efficiency.

Dr. Brown leads a team responsible for the training and technical support of more than 400 crop specialists for the regional cooperative. For Dr. Brown, it’s all about MOM. His talk focused on Minimizing environmental impact by Optimizing harvest yield and Maximizing nutrition.

Monty’s Vice President of Agronomy Joe Dedman, with more than 20 years of experience as a certified crop advisor, urged growers to maximize yield by nourishing the soil. “The key to better production is right beneath your feet,” he said.

After the presentations, guests split into break-out sessions with each of the speakers to discuss specific issues in their fields or their areas of the country.

When asked about the event, Dedman observed: “It was great to see so many farmers and dealers come out to learn about the important topic of soil health. They got to hear some really great advice from experts in soil science, ask questions about their problem areas and hear more about how Monty’s products can help with many of their issues.”