Podcasts by CCSI-HAT Soil Health Podcast

Season 5 Episode 3 - From an Historic Black Farming Community to Teaching about Food and Ag in Underserved Communities from 2022-09-19T20:33:53

Join John Jamerson and Denise Greer Jamerson live and farm in historic Lyles Station, Indiana - an historic Black farming community. For years, they have been tapping into their connections and ...

Season 5 Episode 2 - Climate Smart Farming and Indiana Programs from 2022-07-07T11:52:39

Hans Schmitz, CCSI Agronomist, and Joe Rorick, Indiana Soybean Alliance/Indiana Corn Marketing Council - both also with Purdue Extension - talk about opportunities to build resilience to extreme...

Season 5 Episode 1 - Training Across Wide Partnerships is Key for Soil Health from 2022-05-26T17:25:23

Recorded at Fisher's Farm where former NRCS Regional Soil Health Specialist Barry Fisher (recently retired) practices what he preachers - Barry was joined by former Indiana NRCS State Soil Healt...

Season 4 Episode 9 - Learning from Your Peers from 2022-01-03T13:41:51

Recorded live at the Indy Farm Show, Mike Shuter - a seasoned soil health practitioner and NACD Soil Health Champion was joined by Andrew Bernzott, a young farmer and National Wildlife Federatio...

Season 4 Episode 8 - Cover Crops in the River Bottoms?! from 2021-10-14T10:44:56

Everyone knows you can't use cover crops in river bottoms, right? WRONG!

Ray McCormick, Knox County, Indiana, farms about 1000 acres of river bottom farmland and uses cover crops ...

Season 4 Episode 7 - IT Professional by Day, Regenerative Farmer by Night from 2021-08-26T12:08:43

SW Indiana IT Professional / Soil Health Farmer Pat Bittner exemplifies the studious mindset of many regenerative ag farmers. His thorough research has allowed the remarkably FAST adoption of mo...

Season 4 Episode 6 - Soil Health in Indiana Corn Production from 2021-08-04T12:06:39

Among other things, Purdue Corn Specialist Dan Quinn and Vincennes University Business Division Dean Susan Brocksmith talk about how round table discussions with experience soil health farmers c...

Season 4 Episode 6 - Soil Health in Indiana Corn Production from 2021-08-04T12:06:39

Among other things, Purdue Corn Specialist Dan Quinn and Vincennes University Business Division Dean Susan Brocksmith talk about how round table discussions with experience soil health farmers can ...

Season 4 Episode 5 - Spring Management of Cover Crops in Vegetable Production from 2021-05-19T11:55:15

Cover crops can be a great management tool for vegetable production. Steven Meyers, Purdue Horticulture Asst. Prof. of Weed Science, and Dan Perkins, Perkins Good Earth Farms discuss best practices...

Season 4 Episode 5 - Spring Management of Cover Crops in Vegetable Production from 2021-05-19T11:55:15

Cover crops can be a great management tool for vegetable production. Steven Meyers, Purdue Horticulture Asst. Prof. of Weed Science, and Dan Perkins, Perkins Good Earth Farms discuss best practi...

Season 4 Episode 4 - Last Minute Planter Adjustments from 2021-04-06T14:39:31

No matter how extensively you checked and adjusted your planter over the winter, there are always "game-time" adjustments that will be needed. Barry Fisher, recently retired from NRCS and AJ Adkins...

Season 4 Episode 4 - Last Minute Planter Adjustments from 2021-04-06T14:39:31

No matter how extensively you checked and adjusted your planter over the winter, there are always "game-time" adjustments that will be needed. Barry Fisher, recently retired from NRCS and AJ Adk...

Season 4 Episode 3 - So... You want me to change how I farm? from 2021-03-18T17:35:58

From financial to operational to managerial - there are a lot of decisions a farmer has to make before adopting a conservation practice. Understanding that is critical for anyone working with farme...

Season 4 Episode 3 - So... You want me to change how I farm? from 2021-03-18T17:35:58

From financial to operational to managerial - there are a lot of decisions a farmer has to make before adopting a conservation practice. Understanding that is critical for anyone working with fa...

Season 4 Episode 2 - Cover Crops in Commercial Tomato Production from 2021-02-19T19:11:51

Just a few years ago, commercial tomato growers might have said, "You can't use cover crops in tomato production." Things have certainly changed. James Rice from Wanatah, IN and Curt Utterback...

Season 4 Episode 1 - Fall-seeded Cover Crops in Specialty Crop Production from 2021-01-19T17:47:26

Chuck Mohler, AKA "Sweet Corn Charlie" and Joe Rorick, CCSI Agronomist, talk about the many benefits of diversity in production, including use of a wide mix of cover crops - better tasting produ...

Season 3 Episode 13 - Part 2 Discussing Soil Health with Your Ag Lender from 2020-12-11T14:36:31

Explaining soil health investments to your ag lender can be challenging for some farmers. Join Indiana farmer Ken Rulon (Rulon Enterprises) and Kansas Farmer Keith Berns (Green Cover Seed) as th...

Season 3 Episode 12 - Part 1 Discussing Soil Health with Your Ag Lender from 2020-12-04T14:02:22

Explaining soil health investments to your ag lender can be challenging for some farmers. Join Indiana farmer Ken Rulon (Rulon Enterprises) and Kansas Farmer Keith Berns (Green Cover Seed) as th...

Season 3 Episode 12 - Nurturing the "Invisible Part of the Soil" from 2020-12-04T13:51:58

The soil microbiome - the invisible part of the soil - relates directly to the health and quality of plants. Dr. Lori Hoagland, Purdue University and Dan Perkins, Perkins Good Earth Farm, discus...

Season 3 Episode 11 - A Fifty Year Journey of Farming Diversity and Soil Health from 2020-10-06T17:54:08

Buckle up. There's a lot to unpack in this conversation with David Brandt's 50 year soil health journey. The listen is worth it... and then some. Brandt's focus on soil health systems and cont...

Season 3 Episode 10 - Cover Crops in Smaller Scale Specialty Crop Production from 2020-09-02T18:17:53

Cover crops aren't just for large scale commodity crop production. Smaller scale specialty crop farmers can integrate covers throughout their intense and diverse cash crop rotations to manage th...

Season 3 Episode 9 - Cover Crops and Sweet Corn from 2020-07-27T13:19:54

Sweet corn farmers Chuck Mohler from Northern Indiana and Tom and Victor Hackman from Southern Indiana agree: cover crops are a benefit on any farm.

The Hackmans moved from a wheat cover c...

Season 3 Episode 8 - Harvesting Cover Crops for Forage from 2020-07-02T13:39:05

Beyond grazing, opportunities abound for those with out infrastructure like fencing and watering facilities to use cover crops for forage. Purdue Extension Forage Specialist Keith Johnson and C...

Season 3 Episode 7 - Better Pollination in Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Pumpkins, and Pickles from 2020-06-12T15:30

Did you know that 70% of pollination in watermelon crops comes from NATIVE bees and other pollinators? It makes economic and environmental sense to focus on Integrated Pest Management as a core...

Season 3 Episode 6 - Pollinator Strips: More than Bees and Butterflies from 2020-05-22T13:02:31

When we talk about pollinator strips, we typically think about bees and butterflies. However, pollinator strips also attract a host of other beneficial insects that bring value to crop producti...

Season 3 Episode 5 - No-Till Pumpkins from 2020-05-08T13:35:57

Amanda and Jacob Baird, beginning pumpkin farmers join University of Illinois Extension Educator Nathan Johanning and long-term no-till pumpkin farmer Rod Johnson of Hobart, Indiana to learn the...

Season 3 Episode 4 - Haven't Mowed? Wait on That Cover Crop Burn Down! from 2020-04-13T20:03:45

It's April and lawns may have greened up, but that doesn't mean cover crops are actively growing. Understanding effects of night time low temperatures, that different cover crops species may bre...

Season 3 Episode 3 - Teaching the Next Generation of Farmers from 2020-04-13T19:43:12

Mike and Susan Brocksmith of Vincennes, Indiana received the American Soybean Association Conservation Legacy Award at the 2020 Commodity Classic.

They have always been strong conservation...

Season 3 Episode 2 - Got Voles? Get Raptors. from 2020-04-13T19:12:31

Vole damage to crops is dependent on several variables - palatability and density of cover crops, soil types, field borders, and... raptor perches.

Abby Prieur and Megan Zagorski recently ...

Season 3 Episode 1 - Local, State, National, and International Conservation Leaders from 2020-04-13T17:58:59

In 2019, a lot of new clients walked through the doors of USDA Service Centers looking for options on their prevent plant acres - for resources on managing those fields. Many turned to cover cro...

Season 2 Episode 11 - It Just Makes $ense from 2020-04-13T17:07:22

Decatur County, Indiana farmer Kevin Horstman is a relative rookie to soil health farming, but with the help of neighbors Roger Wenning and son Nick, he hopes to ramp up his farming system in 5 ...

Season 2 Episode 10 - Fall and Winter Grazing from 2020-04-13T16:50:48

By strategically planning a cover crop and high-density grazing system, growers can stretch winter feedstocks, improve pasture utilization, and improve the health of their livestock - both above...

Season 2 Episode 9 - Support for Female Landowners and Farmers from 2020-04-13T15:38:33

About 50% of the farmland in Indiana is rented. Twenty-five percent of the leased property is owned or co-owned by women.

The image of a farmer has been embossed as an older male. However,...

Season 2 Episode 8 - 4R Nutrient Management and Soil Health from 2020-04-13T15:17:06

4Rs: Right Source. Right Rate. Right Time. Right Place.

Across Indiana, farmer-leaders along with policy specialists, private industry, public agencies, and non-profits are pushing out inf...

Season 2 Episode 7 - Weed Control Considerations for Prevent Plant Acres from 2019-07-17T18:18

Over 19 million acres of cropland were not planted in 2019 due to extreme weather, leaving many farmers facing extreme weed pressure in those fields. Dr. Aaron Hagar, weed specialist from the Un...

Season 2 Episode 6 - Prevented Planting 2019 and Cover Crop Seed Supplies from 2019-06-17T14:47

US corn and soybean planting has progressed at its slowest pace in decades. Farmers facing decisions on prevented planting also face decisions on managing fields for this summer.

Many grou...

Season 2 Episode 5 - Ag Census Trends in Conservation from 2019-05-29T14:35

Northwest Ohio / Northeast Indiana farmer Allen Dean and Indiana Ag Nutrient Executive Director Ben Wicker as they discuss upward trends in conservation adoption indicated by the latest Ag Censu...

Season 2 Episode 4 - Climate Change and Erosion from 2019-04-23T17:09

Indiana/Ohio Farmer Allen Dean and Indiana Ag Nutrient Alliance Executive Director Ben Wicker as they discuss the harsh erosion that occurred over winter/spring of 2019.

Both gentlemen agr...

Season 2 Episode 3 - Do you need neonicotinoid-treated seed from 2019-03-28T17:02

Penn State Professor of Entomology John Tooker discusses the evolution of neonicotinoid insecticide use and its effect on the health of crop land soils and beneficial insects.

Many seed tr...

Season 2 Episode 2 - Good Data Drive Success from 2019-03-01T16:52

Join Rick Clark, American Soybean Association Legacy Stewardship Award Winner at the 2019 Commodity Classic as he explains his data-driven, low-input, high-return soil health system.

Clark...

Season 2 Episode 1 - How Soils Behave in a Long-term Soil Health System from 2019-01-22T16:27

Mike Werling farms in the Western Lake Erie Basin watershed - water quality and soil health are always on his mind. He and Indiana USDA-NRCS State Soil Health Specialist Stephanie McLain talk ab...

Season 1 Episode 5 - Making Your Soil Organic Matter Pay from 2018-12-18T16:16

Indiana farmer Rodney Rulon and Indiana USDA-NRCS State Conservationist Jerry Raynor discuss Rodney's presentation on the economics of soil health.

According to Rulon, the cost of cover cr...

Season 1 Episode 4 - Using Manures as Part of a Soil Health System from 2018-11-20T19:22

Indiana ranks amongst the top in production of hogs, chickens, and turkeys and ranks first in the nation for duck production. It is also home to one of the largest and innovative dairies in the ...

Season 1 Episode 3 - Cover Crops and Fall Emerged Weeds from 2018-09-25T19:21

Farmer Mike Brocksmith and Crop Consultant Betsy Bower discuss management strategies to combat tough weeds like marestail and waterhemp.

Part of that strategy is use of fall seeded cover c...

Season 1 Episode 2 - Soil Health and Water Quality from 2018-08-30T19:05

Understanding how soil health impacts water qualtiy starts with understanding where and how water flows across the landscape - where and water can pick up pollutants - has an impact on surface w...

Season 1 Episode 1 - Grazing and Warm Season Cover Crops from 2018-07-30T17:48

Warsaw, Indiana, farmer Jamie Scott strategicallly includes wheat in his cropping rotation to maximize cover crop growth. Because of that balance and diversity, he sees an immediate positive cha...