Dear Readers: This is just a reminder that our annual soil building workshop will be held on August 20th and 21st at Morgan Composting in Sears, MI. It is looking like the turnout will be quite good, but we hope to have as many people contributing to this event as possible. The deadline for early-bird registration looms ahead; registration by August 15th will cost $30 for one day and $50 for both days. After this date, the price will increase by $10. You may register online at: www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu (The above site also has links to the flyer, which contains the mail-in registration form, and the program for the event.) ******** Some more info: Innovations to Build Soils to Feed Sustainable Communities is a two-day workshop featuring an expert in soil health from the Cornell University Soil Health Team, in Ithaca, New York. The event will take place Wednesday and Thursday, August 20-21 at Morgan Composting in Sears, Mich (4353 US Highway 10) from 9 am to 4:30 pm each day. The workshop will consist of two days of educational sessions by researchers and expert farmers, a tour of Morgan Composting and vermicompost Facility, a trade show, and demonstrations of equipment for using compost and equipment targeted to growers to scale up production (such as transplanters, seeders, mulchers, and compost spreaders). The focus of the discussions will be on improving crop quality by building healthier soils. Wednesday, August 20, will highlight vegetable production, and Thursday, August 21, will feature field crop production. In addition to the trade show and field demonstrations, representatives from equipment dealerships, the USDA Farm Service Agency, and credit unions will be available to discuss opportunities to help farmers expand their operations. Those attending will also be treated to a presentation by Bob Schindelbeck from Cornell University’s Department of Crop and Soil Science. Schindelbeck is a Soil Research Specialist on the Cornell Soil Health Team who will bring information from the team to the farmer. He will share with us how the Cornell Soil Health Team analyzes soil for the living and non-living components in the soil, and how they impact the soil quality. The Soil Health Team has designed a system for growers to not only understand what the soil contains now, but how it can be made more productive using appropriate management. In 2007, the team published a manual describing their system. This manual provides a broad overview of many key aspects of soil health and provides practical information so that growers can assess and manage the physical, chemical, and biological components of their farms’ soils. For the curious, this manual is available as an online resource within the Soil building and Compost section of the www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu website. In the afternoon, our guest speaker, Bob Schindelbeck will demonstrate, using farmers’ soils (which they are invited to bring), how soil structure or water stable aggregates impact crop production. This demonstration will foster a discussion about the impact of soil management on the structure of water stable aggregates, which enhance soil drainage, water retention and nutrient availability to the plant. Attendees may choose either one or two-day registration options for the workshop. Cost of registration is as follows: Reservations made by Aug. 15 One-day registration: $30 Two-day registration: $50 Reservations made after Aug. 15 One-day registration: $40 Two-day registration: $60 Trade show tables may be purchased for $60, but reservations must be made by postmarked before Aug. 15, and include a two-day registration for two people. Trade table and registration forms for the workshop can be found at www.michiganorganic.msu.edu. You can register on-line or print out registration forms at www.michiganorganic.msu.edu and pay by check or credit card. Registration can also be sent in to 303 Natural Resources, c/o Morrone, East Lansing, MI 48824.and make checks payable to Michigan State University. For additional questions contact Vicki Morrone at (517) 353-3542. If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html