September 2020 - 20

GREAT LAKES EXPO
Soil health talk at first virtual Great Lakes EXPO
Understanding soil health and
fertility is one of the most important
areas of research for fruit growers. At
the virtual 2020 Great Lakes Fruit,
Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO, a
couple of the highlighted sessions will
focus on not only producing quality
soil, but educating growers on how to
identify areas of need.
In the " Virtues of Cover Crops to
Support Soil & Crop Health " and
" Observing and Assessing Soil Health
Indicators on your Farm " sessions,
Julie Grossman, an associate professor
in soil, agroecology and organic
food systems at the University of
Minnesota, will be presenting on the
importance and benefits of cover
crops for providing nutrients and
improving soil health.
Grossman, who is also the organic
programs coordinator for the
College of Food, Agriculture and
Natural Resource Sciences, works
in the university's Department of
Horticultural Science, and has formal
training as a soil biologist. She
said that while she primarily works
specifically with organic management
approaches, farmers and growers of
all types will be able to walk away
from her sessions with valuable
information.
" The information we provide aims
to be really useful to everybody, not
just organic producers, " Grossman
said. " What we're discussing will be
applicable to any grower interested in
improving their soil. "
The goal of the sessions will not
only be to inform growers and
educate them about the benefits of
utilizing cover crops to promote
healthier soil, but about equipping
the growers themselves to apply what
they learn to their own operations.
" (Growers) that come to these
sessions will learn about cover crop
species that can be used to improve
soils, and when to use them, " Grossman
said. " We will cover everything from
how to manage cover crop growth and
termination, to calculating the amount
of nitrogen provided via legume cover
crops, and help farmers understand
the difference between myths and
realities of what we know, and we don't
" Soil is the foundation of our
agricultural systems, and we have
to take care of (those systems), "
Grossman said. " These sessions will
help growers know what they can do,
as stewards of the land, to produce
better crops and sustainably manage
their farms and their soil. "
While this will be Grossman's first
time presenting at the Great Lakes
Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market
EXPO, she said that attending the
virtual event, whether as a business
or an individual, can be incredibly
beneficial for growers from all crops
and industries.
" I think it's really important
JULIE GROSSMAN
(yet) understand. In both sessions
we will provide tips, tools and tricks
farmers can use to help improve their
soil health. "
Grossman said that attending
sessions on soil health isn't as much
about explaining research as it is
helping farmers and growers learn to
" be scientists themselves, " by diving
into the science and the " how-to " of
soil management.
to attend sessions presenting
information gained via research, so
that farmers can build on their own
good information, and add-on to
what they know does and doesn't
work for their farms, " Grossman said.
" By attending sessions and learning
to be scientists themselves, they
can learn how not to rely solely on
scientists and labs, and can do these
things for themselves based on their
own farm or their own soil. "
To learn more about the 2020 Great
Lakes EXPO, virtual sessions and more,
visit www.glexpo.com. FGN
20 | FruitGrowersNews.com
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September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020
