Renewable Farming

“Power Grower Seminar” featuring John Kempf set for Feb. 24 in Nevada, IA

“The greatest crop response possible with the least input cost” is the focus of a Feb. 24 seminar at Nevada, Iowa, featuring John Kempf of Advancing Eco Agriculture.

The seminar host is Central Iowa Agronomy and Supply, a partnership involving Boone, Iowa crop consultant Bob Streit — one of the Midwest’s most respected crop consultants. Bob’s associate, Marv Mortensen, manages Central Iowa Agronomy and Supply, which sources specialty crop production products for farmers.

When Bob Streit invites another outstanding crop consultant into his own Iowa territory, that promises a day of very useful and unique grower information. 

Seating is limited for this conference. Over 50 have registered. To reserve your spot you will need to pre-register at the Advancing Eco Agriculture site for the Nevada, IA seminar Feb. 24 by visiting this site: http://www.bit.ly/iapowergrower.

John Kempf’s presentation will focus on managing soil biology to build productivity — while producing top yields profitably. For example, John points out that the primary builders of stable humus in soil are the families of mycorrhizal fungi, not the array of residue-digesting bacteria which break down cornstalks.  

One of his key objectives: Building a soil structure with a wide array of microbial species which actively suppress disease organisms. That’s essential for keeping corn alive longer in the fall, allowing more complete kernel fill and nutrient density.

One of the Midwest’s most serious corn yield problems is late-summer diseases that cause early death syndrome, a “browning” of corn long before its normal maturity. 

The near-desperate response to corn “browning off” has been spraying more fungicide. The soil has hundreds of species of beneficial fungal organisms for every pathogenic one. So… ramping up the toxic sprays could well be amplifying next year’s problems in an attempt to stave off this year’s Northern leaf blight and Goss’s wilt.

Besides the useful insight from John Kempf, we’ve heard that Bob’s wife Carol is in charge of the “home cooked” lunch at the seminar.

To download, read and print out a more complete program description along with the schedule for Feb. 24, click on this link for a PDF version on a single page.

Attendees may also call 1-800-495-6603 ext. 108 as an alternative method of registering for the conference.
 
Arrangements are being made to locate a larger venue in case of larger than expected turnout. Please check the registration website a week before the meeting for updates on meeting location changes.