Join O‘ahu RC&D, CTAHR, and host farm Island Harvest for a field day on Saturday, July 16th from 9:00am to 12:00pm in Kapa'au, Hawai‘i to engage with soil health planning in orchard systems. This on-farm workshop will share cover crop trials in an orchard system, followed by a demonstration of an AerWay Orchard Aerator and cover crop seeder. Dr. Koon-Hui Wang will share updates on her cover cropping research for orchard systems and we will discuss soil health planning, practices, and testing, as well as the opportunity for funding from NRCS programs for practice implementation. Lunch will be provided.
Hawai‘i's unique island landscapes and history of soil degradation through intensive crop production heighten the importance of rebuilding soil health. As organic matter and soil nutrients are depleted, farm operations require greater quantities of fertilizers and water to sustain production and experience increased risk of crop failure due to less climate-resilient soils.
Date and time
Sat, July 16, 2022
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM HST
Location
Island Harvest
53-4073 Pratt Road
Kapa'au, HI 96755
Soil health testing combined with planning can identify opportunities to build soil health in ways that enhance farm viability. Healthy soils are a “win, win, win” as they improve the landscape’s ability to capture and filter water for drinking, improve the ability of the land to grow food with less reliance on inputs, and also reduce the amount of polluted runoff that reaches the ocean.
Learn more about soil health planning at oahurcd.org/soilhealthplans/
View more of Dr. Koon-Hui Wang's work at https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/wangkh/Research-and-Extension/Cover-Crops
Space is limited. Please register to save your seat. Registration closes July 8th. Registered participants will receive an email with detailed instructions several days prior to the event.