NACD held its Soil Health Forum and Conservation Tour July 21-22 in Indianapolis, IN.  The forum was packed with dynamic speakers from the local, state and national levels, including: Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Ted McKinney; NRCS Chief Jason Weller; national EPA representatives; and Senator Joe Donnelly of Indiana.

Attendees also had a chance to interact with speaker panels representing various parts of the soil health chain, from producer to industry. Prior to the forum, NACD’s Board of Directors meeting was hosted at the Dow AgroSciences headquarters, where they had an opportunity to tour Dow’s show farm.

Following the forum, participants embarked on the conservation tour portion of the event that included a visit to the Indiana State Fairgrounds as well as local area farms.

While at the Indiana State Fairgrounds attendees toured the "Pathway to Water Quality" watershed demonstration site, and the "Glass barn" local farmers exhibit (pictured above). 

The Pathway to Water Quality, sponsored by the Indiana Conservation Partnership, highlights how land “sheds” excess water and what that means for water and soil quality.  The Glass Barn exhibit is a new addition to the fairgrounds, having opened in 2013 with help from the Indiana Soybean Alliance.  It provides visitors with an interactive experience detailing the everyday lives of Indiana farm families.

In addition to touring the State Fairgrounds, attendees of the forum were treated to conservation tours of three of Indiana’s leading soil-health farms:

• Rulon Enterprises: Economic Opportunities of Soil Health Systems
• Starkey Farms/Little Ireland Farms: Measuring the Benefits of Soil Health for Water Quality/Farming for Soil Health and Upstream from Indy's Drinking Water Source
• Legan Farms: Irrigation and Manure Integration for Soil Health and Water Quality

Thanks to the Indiana Partnership for its tremendous support in helping to make the NACD Soil Health Forum and Conservation Tour a success!  We’re  looking forward to continued efforts to put a national spotlight on soil health.

For more photos from the event, visit us on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/nacd/sets/72157645914637262/