June 2024 | Issue 5

Welcome!

In early May, we were lucky to host a 3-day pilot of a national NRCS training, "Soil Health for Urban and Small Scale Agriculture." Thirty leaders from around the country with NRCS came to learn about urban and small scale agriculture from the National Soil Health Division and partners. As hosts, our partners were the Indiana NRCS, Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District, and our farm site hosts: KayLeo Urban Farm, Mad Farmers Collective, the Marion SWCD demo garden, and Bethany Community Gardens.

We are thankful for the invitation to teach about soil testing techniques and talk about the USH Program with participants of the Conservation Equity event on May 30th. Hosted at Kheprw Institute's Octavia's Visionary Farm with Legacy Taste of the Garden and Kentucky Ag DevelopmentAdvocacy, it focused on agricultural conservation practices and equitable development strategies. This was an opportunity to learn about services provided by USDA Indiana NRCS, FSA, Purdue Extension, SARE, the local SWCD, and more!

Northwest

Marian Rodriguez-Soto

URBAN SOIL HEALTH SPECIALIST
Northwest Area
Lafayette, NRCS Area Office

mrodriguezsoto@urbansoilhealth.org

May's focus was site visits with gardeners, urban training with NRCS, and working group meetings. And, as I move along my 3rd year in the Northwest, I reflect on past activities and refocus efforts to better serve this area.

Northeast

Terri Theisen

URBAN SOIL HEALTH SPECIALIST
Northeast Area
Fort Wayne, NRCS Area Office

ttheisen@urbansoilhealth.org

With the start of the busy season for growers, visiting farms is a bit more challenging to schedule. This month's focus has been supporting the Soil and Water Conservation Districts of my region with outreach and education events. Their highlights are my highlights; please see the notes below on some of the greatt hings happening across the region!

Southwest

Casey Kennett

URBAN SOIL HEALTH SPECIALIST
Southwest Area
Vincennes, NRCS Area Office

ckennett@urbansoilhealth.org

The Working Groups in the SW have been extremely active and motivated to meet and plan events for this year. USH has provided site visit trainings to new members, as well as support by attending their group meetings.

Southeast

Megan Ayers

URBAN SOIL HEALTH SPECIALIST
Southeast Area
North Vernon, NRCS Area Office

mayers@urbansoilhealth.org

Lots of workshops and site visits down here in the southeast, with many successful collaborations with our Indiana Conservation Partners. I'm looking forward to continuing that into the summer and fall, so keep an eye out for educational programming from lots of agricultural sectors!

Working Group Highlights

Northwest

The Community Growers of Montgomery County held their second meeting of the year. They are doing a Community Bucket Project to distribute tomato seedlings to beginner gardeners who are limited in space. They are also planning their 3rd annual garden walk in Crawfordsville. FLASH (Warren/Benton counties) and the Boone County Alliance for Soil Health are ready to go with their soil testing program.

Northeast

SCRAP (St. Joseph County) hosted a deep dive hybrid class on the new nutrient management tool from Kevin Allison from Marion Co SWCD. It was wonderful to see growers in the Michiana region excited to better understand nutrient management on their farms.

In Allen County, Allen County Healthy Soils Collaborative provided outreach at Ecofest Fort Wayne where they talked to many local land owners about soil health practices and offered free pollinator and cover crop seeds. It was a great event that was well attended!

Soil Guardians of DeKalb-Steuben held their kick off meeting for their working group! It was well attended and they successfully connected with community members interested in volunteering for the working group to bring better soil health practices to their land.

Southwest

Parke/Vermillion/VigoSoil Health Alliance held a planning meeting and will host a garden tour later this summer. The host site reached out to the working group about their soil testing program and to address resource concerns. They will discuss the soil test results as well as soil health practices they are utilizing in their garden.

PHISH(People Helping Improve Soil Health) held a site visit training for the newest members of the working group. Participants learned about the slump test and other demos that can be used in the field.

Southeast

Lawrence CRUSH hosted an educational and inspiring workshop on the "Importance ofBeneficial Partnerships in Soil Health" where they walked participants through a timeline of milestones for their group and presented on cover crop termination in small-scale growing.

The Demo Garden at Muscatatuck Park has hosted two educational events so far this year—the first on soil health principles where the garden was created, and the second on perennial fruit and the importance of native pollinators—and are moving onto a third in June, focused on trellising and companion planting.

Orange County SWCD,Crawford County SWCD, Orange County Master Gardeners, and the Crawford County Library and forming their own Local Working Group. It's been a long time coming, and I'm proud of them for keeping the dream alive!

June 5: Composting and the Vegetable Garden

with Urban Soil Health and Jr. Master Gardeners

Fortville, IN

10:00 – 11:00 AM

Check out the great kids programming this summer with VernonTownship - Hancock County. For more information, or to register, click here.

June 5: Composting in Your Backyard

Vernon Township Trustees Community Garden

602 Vitality, Fortville

6:00 – 7:00 PM

June 7: Composting Workshop

Wayne Co. Fairgrounds Community Garden

5:30 – 6:30 PM

Composting Education with Megan Ayers, Urban Soil Health Specialist. Learn the ins and outs of composting in your garden. Please bring a chair or blanket if you would like seating. This will be held outdoors, in our demonstration garden, not in the Kuhlman Center. Click for more information.

June 8: Sayler Park Sustains

Cincinnati, OH

12:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Featuring live music, workshops, food trucks and more.https://www.saylerparksustains.org/

June 8: Town and Country Tour

with Allen Co SWCD and Maumee Watershed Alliance (in-person)

9:00 AM to1:30 PM

Town & Country Tours provide an opportunity for urban and other non-ag residents to gain a better understanding of today’s modern agriculture. https://allenswcd.org/event/town-country-tour/

June 11-13: 2024 Urban Food Systems Symposium

Developing Urban Food Systems for Sustainable and Resilient Communities

Columbus, OH

This symposium will bring together a national and international audience of academic, non-profit, academic, and research-oriented professionals to share and gain knowledge on how we can build coalitions to adapt to this changing world and how urban food systems contribute to these solutions. Join 300-400 like minded professionals at this event. https://urbanfoodsystemssymposium.org/

June 13: Composting 101

Switzerland Co SWCD (in-person)

10:00 –11:30 AM

To ask questions or RSVP, call 812-427-3126, ext. 3

June 18: Urban Update

Virtual

9 – 10:30 AM

You do NOT need to register to attend this meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81909196128

June 20: Planting for Soil Health and Erosion Control

Nova Park

5:30 –7:00 PM

June 18 & 19: Indiana Farm to School and Early Childhood Education (ECE) Symposium

Hendricks County Fairgrounds

Farm to School advocates and stakeholders are invited to join the Department of Education (IDOE) and the Indiana Grown for Schools Network for a two-day event. Register online: https://form.jotform.com/233595259965070

July 9: Urban Updates

Virtual

9 – 10:30 AM

You do NOT need to register to attend this meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81909196128

July 18: Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Field Day

MEIGS-Purdue Ag Center, Lafayette, IN

9 AM

The event promises interactive demos on topics like weed management, soil health, and more. As a bonus, we will have a drone demonstration, and all attendees will receive a free Vegetable Crops Hotline newsletter subscription! Purchase tickets online.

July 19: Soil Health on the Small Farm Part 2

Hawkins Family Farm, North Manchster

5 – 6:30 PM

Kos Co SWCD is hosting Part 2 @ Hawkins Family Farm. After a delicious wood fired pizza dinner we will take a farm tour, learning about sustainable practices on a productive and efficient market farm. https://www.kosciuskoswcd.org/events

July 25: Purdue Small Farm Education Field Day

Purdue Student Farm

This year's field day will again offer demonstration stations where you can interact with specialists and learn about a variety of topics: food safety updates, packhouse tours, weed and insect management, crop production, and more. As a bonus, all attendees will receive a free Vegetable Crops Hotline newsletter subscription! Purchase tickets online.

Aug 2-18: Indiana State Fair

https://www.indianastatefair.com/p/state-fair

Aug 24: Pierceton Heirloom Tomato Festival

Brower Park, Pierceton, IN

10 AM - 4 PM

The festival includes ncluding Agricultural Art Show and 5K Run/Walk at 9am. Music, Food, Shopping, Heirloom Tomato Display and MORE!!! A variety of vendors: Crafted goods, farmers market items and food vendors!

http://www.piercetonchamber.com/events.html

Sept 3-6: The ABCs of Organic Agriculture & Sustainable Livestock Management

Sobremesa Farm, Bloomington, IN

https://sobremesafarm.com/index.php/the-abc-of-organic-agriculture/

Oct. 17: Get the Dirt

Do you have events you want to add to the calendar? Email details to info@urbansoilhealth.org.

Mulching Overview and Mulching Tool calculator - The overview document gives a good general description of the opportunities of multiple mulches throughout the small farm. The tool can be used to calculate amounts of bulk materials like compost, # of bales of hay or straw, and to plan for mulches in crop rotations.