RENVILLE

— A soil health meeting later this month in Olivia will focus on strip-till and cover crops in a sugar beet rotation.

According to a news release from the Renville County Soil and Water Conservation District, the meeting from 9:30 a.m. to noon Monday, Feb. 26, will feature a panel of local, experienced soil health farmers like Brian Ryberg, Vance Johnson and others.

These producers have already implemented these practices in their sugar beet rotation. The panel will help other beet growers in the area with their questions or reservations about implementing these soil health practices.

The Renville County SWCD and Hawk Creek Watershed Project has partnered with the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative and University of Minnesota Office for Soil Health to host the meeting at the Renville Community Center, 221 Main St. N.

Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar research agronomist David Mettler will join the farmers on the panel to assist with answering questions on use of cover crops in beet production.

Anna Cates, state soil health specialist with the U of M Office for Soil Health, will also present on current research in Polk and Wilkin counties. The trial plots will show how varied cover crops affected sugar beet quality and yield at the two sites.

The Minnesota Office for Soil Health as they will be hosting similar events in other parts of Minnesota and North Dakota throughout February and March. The data Cates will be presenting are also found online at:

z.umn.edu/beetCCs.

For more information, please contact the Renville County SWCD at 320-523-1559.