Learn how to use beneficial soil microbes and how to set up simple field trials through this free, hands-on field day!

Over the course of the workshop, you’ll learn

• How to use and apply Johnson-Su compost, a bio-active compost whose beneficial soil microbes provide a range of benefits in symbiosis with plants: turning atmospheric CO2 into soil organic matter, fixing N and making it available in the soils, solubilizing minerals and making them available to plants, and more.  Mature Johnson-Su compost will soon be available in greater Silver City through the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance; learn how to use it to improve the health of your lands.
• How to use simple field trial designs to provide information on the effects of different agricultural practices. We’ll be learning by doing through a field trial of how Johnson-Su compost inoculant affects plant biomass and soil health metrics when applied to the seeds of alfalfa and mixed-species cover crops. Findings from the field trial will be incorporated into the citizen science database of the Global Soil Restoration Network.

Schedule Overview:

• 9:00-9:30 a.m.: Introductions
• 9:30-10:00 a.m.: Orientation to Soil Microbes and Field Trial Design
• 10:00-11:00 a.m.: Baseline testing
• 11:00 a.m.-Noon: Making compost seed coatings
• Noon to 1:00 p.m..: Lunch
• 1:00-2:00 p.m.: Making compost extracts
• 2:00-5:00 p.m.: Planting inoculated and un-inoculated alfalfa and mixed-species cover crops according to the field trial design
• 5:00-6:30 p.m.: Dinner

As always at SRA events, this field day includes free, grant-funded meals: in this case, a catered lunch and dinner where you’ll get the chance to make and strengthen connections with other people in the sustainable agriculture sector.

The field day is free, but space is limited, so please pre-register.

Please bring:

• Work clothes
• Gloves
• Sun protection
• Closed-toe shoes
• A water bottle

Location:

The field day is at the Runyan Property, off of US 180 in Grant County. 

Coming from Silver City:

Travel west on US 180 about 25 miles. Watch for the workshop sign on the right before the US 180 bridge. If you cross the Gila river, you've gone too far.

Coming from Gila:

Travel east on US 180 and cross the 180 bridge. Look for the workshop sign on the left.

A map of the property is below:

This field day is hosted in partnership among The Nature Conservancy, the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance, and the Seeding Regenerative Agriculture Project at Cruces Creatives, with generous support from the McCune Charitable Foundation.