These trainings – one for conservation educators and another for farm business management educators – will help participants feel more knowledgeable and confident in supporting farmers’ decisions about cover crops, conservation tillage, and/or managed grazing.
For details and registration, click the tab below for the training that is most relevant to you.
Please note there are two distinct trainings, one for each audience. Please be sure you are choosing the correct tab that aligns with your profession. You will know you’re in the correct tab if it is white.
The Economics of Agricultural Conservation Practices and How to Talk to Farmers about It
A two-part training for farm business management educators
Soil health, regenerative agriculture, and carbon markets are a big buzz in agriculture these days. Are you prepared to talk with farmers about how practices such as cover crops, conservation tillage, and managed grazing could affect their bottom line? This training will cover the basics of conservation practices, what is known about how they impact farm profitability, and ways to finance them. You will leave feeling more knowledgeable and confident to support farmers’ interest in making conservation practices work for their operations.
Who this training is for: Farm business management educators from Extension, technical colleges, or other relevant institutions
Here’s what the training will cover in two 90-minute webinars:
- Conservation 101: The basics of conservation practices and what it takes to implement them
- Financial assistance for conservation: The types of financial programs out there to help a farmer implement a conservation practice
- Economics of conservation practices: The latest data and tools for how cover crops, conservation tillage, and managed grazing impact farm budgets, including costs, benefits, risks, and ROI
- Communicating with farmers about conservation finances: How to credibly talk with farmers about conservation practices and their impact on farms and finances
- Working with landowners and lenders: How to help farmers work in partnership with their landowners and lenders to make conservation profitable
When: Monday, July 24th and Wednesday, July 26th | 10:00am-11:30am CT. You will need to participate in both days to complete this two-part training.
Cost: Free
Register by: Friday, July 21st
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
What You Need to Know to Help Farmers Do Conservation Profitably
A two-part training for conservation professionals and educators
You know farmers want to learn how conservation pencils out, but do you find yourself unsure how to answer a farmer’s questions related to the costs, benefits, and return on investment (ROI)? This training will help you talk with farmers about what is known about the ways cover crops, conservation tillage, and managed grazing impact farm profitability. You will leave feeling more knowledgeable and confident to collaborate with farmers on improving soil and water resources profitably.
Who this training is for: Conservation professionals/educators who help farmers implement conservation practices, including from Extension, county or state government, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, NRCS, and nonprofit organizations
Here’s what the training will cover in two 90-minute webinars:
- Farm Finance 101: Basic farm finance topics and principles to help you feel confident talking with farmers about them
- Economics of conservation practices: The latest data and tools for how cover crops, conservation tillage, and managed grazing impact farm budgets, including costs, benefits, risks, and ROI
- Communicating about conservation finances: How to talk with farmers about finances in a way that builds trust and credibility
- Working with landowners and lenders: How to help farmers work in partnership with their landowners and lenders to make conservation profitable
When: Tuesday, July 11th and Thursday, July 13th | 10:00am-11:30am CT. You will need to participate in both days to complete this two-part training.
Cost: Free
Register by: Friday, July 7th
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
Meet the Instructors
Paul Dietmann, Senior Focused Lending Specialist, Compeer Financial
Paul co-leads Compeer’s Emerging Markets program, providing loans and business planning assistance to farmers who market their products directly to consumers. He also works with Compeer’s Young, Beginning, and Small Farmer loan program. Paul has been working with sustainable and organic farmers since the mid-1990s, first as a county agricultural agent, then as director of the Wisconsin Farm Center, and now with the Farm Credit System. He is co-author of the book Fearless Farm Finances: Farm Financial Management Demystified and author of Turning Grain Into Dough: Farm Financial Management for Organic Grain and Crop Rotation. He teaches dozens of workshops each year on a variety of topics related to farm finances.
Serge Koenig, Conservation Technician, Sauk County Land Conservation Department
Serge has been a Sauk County natural resource professional for twenty-eight years, where he works with landowners and various organizations to sustain and improve natural resources. He has a Watershed Management degree and a Soils Minor from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Serge is a tireless advocate of managed rotational grazing as tool for regenerating our soils, water, and human resources.
Sarah Hoerner, Ag Lender, Flanagan State Bank
BIO COMING SOON
Questions? Please contact Marcelle Lewandowski or Anna Cates.
These trainings were developed as part of a collaboration between University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Compeer Financial, Environmental Defense Fund, and Croatan Institute.
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 2021-38640-34714 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC21-206. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.