Introduction of biotic factors affecting forests and forest composition and structure as habitat elements.

Lecture series overview and introduction to habitat, habitat selection, and abiotic elements influencing forests and habitat for selected species.

Jeff King, NRCS Water Quality Specialist, walks participants through all of the considerations for inventorying an operation for nutrient management: producer's objectives, operation delineation, plan maps, cropping history, realistic yield goals, nutrient sources, rates, timing, and placement. 

Tech Talk Replay from August 31. Larry Gunderson, Travis Hirman, and Kevin Hauth from MDA review the nitrogen considerations for nutrient management planning. This session covers current impairments, loss pathways, ground water protection rules, nitrogen loss assessments, and practices to reduce movement.

Tech Talk Replay from August 24 at 1:00. Dr. Daniel Kaiser (UMN Extension) and Dorian Gatchel discuss fertilizer considerations in soil health systems.

Tech Talk Replay from August 24 at 9:00 am. During this presentation Lance Smith, NRCS Rangeland Specialists, walks through the steps of making a visual estimate of forage production and then clipping and weighing a representative sample to verify the visual estimation. The goal is to repeat this process to the extent that a person can make an accurate visual estimate of forage production without taking the time to clip and weigh a sample from every site.

Tech Talk Replay from August 24 at 9:00 am. NRCS State Soil Health Specialist Kristin Brennan hosts a farmer panel including Brady Wulf of Starbuck,  Ryan Hough of Barnesville, and David Miller of Red Lake to discuss equipment modifications they have made to facilitate the integration of a soil health system into their farming operations.

Tech Talk Replay from August 10, 2020. Liz Stahl, UMN Extension, reviews the latest research and information regarding the impacts of weed management decisions on the potential for successful establishment of cover crops, cover crop end uses, and the tradeoffs we can expect in our weed management program. Following the presentation is a facilitated discussion with crop advisors.

Review materials for the interactive training program for producers that presents the fundamentals for maximizing economic return on nitrogen investments while minimizing nitrogen losses.

Tech Talk Replay from August 3, 2020. Karin Jokela, Xerces Society, reviews the monarch habitat evaluation guide (WHEG). She demonstrates how to assess various herbaceous plant communities to determine insecticide risks, weed management risks, milkweed stem density, forb cover, and forb richness. Karin also provides tips on plant ID and support tools.