(Lake Park)– Those wanting to learn more about strategies to reduce soil erosion and limiting nutrient losses into the Sliver Lake watershed are being urged to attend a special event Wednesday evening (July 6th) at the Lake Park community center.
Iowa Learning Farms will be putting on a field day event from 5:00 until 7:30 p.m. The event will include a complimentary dinner.
It’s being put on in conjunction with the Silver Lake Watershed Project. Ryan Ransom, coordinator of the Silver Lake Watershed Project, will be one of the speakers for the event, talking about upcoming opportunities.
O’Brien county farmer Tom Wagner will talk about strip-tilling corn and no-tilling soybeans; Laura Christianson of Iowa State University will share her research and experience with bioreactors and other management techniques designed to limit nitrate transport into local water bodies; and Todd Sutphin of the Iowa Soybean Association will talk about that organization’s involvement in water quality projects across the state, including cornstalk nitrate testing conducted as part of the Silver Lake project in 2010 and 2011.
The Iowa Learning Farms’ Conservation Station will also be at the event. It’s a mobile learning center that teaches various aspects of conservation. It includes a rainfall simulator that demonstrates the effects of rainfall on disturbed soils with various land covers, showing both surface runoff as well as subsurface drainage. It includes learning modules covering topics such as soil and water quality and wetlands.
Wednesday evening’s event is free and open to anyone interested. Again, it will be held from 5:00 until 7:30 p.m. at the Lake Park Community Center in Lake Park.
