New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service will host a Biochar and Soil Health field day from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 26 at the Leyendecker Plant Science Center, 7200 Plant Science Circle, Las Cruces.
At the field day, participants will learn how to prepare biochar using the Ring of Fire biochar kiln. Biochar is a charcoal-like substance produced by burning organic materials in an oxygen-limited environment and is used to rejuvenate soil health.
Attendees will also learn about cover crops and other soil health practices at the Leyendecker long-term soil health research and demonstration plots. To register for this free event, visit https://rsvp.nmsu.edu/rsvp/soilhealth3.
“Participants will learn a simple method that can be used for producing biochar from wood waste,” said John Idowu, Extension Plant Sciences Extension specialist/Extension agronomist. “Biochar is a source of carbon that can be added to the soil, and it has various benefits for soil productivity. These benefits will be discussed during the field day.”
The New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Soil Program and the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Southwestern Groundwater Project are funding the field day to support farming and ranching systems that increase healthy soil production. The field day’s soil health activities will demonstrate the importance of land management practices that can improve soil health.
“Soil health management is essential to building resiliency in crop production in the southwest,” Idowu said. “This event will present an opportunity to learn about how soil health is affected by different farm practices.”
For more information or questions, contact Idowu at jidowu@nmsu.edu.
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CUTLINE: Participants gather around the cover crop field at the New Mexico State University Leyendecker Plant Science Center during the 2022 Biochar and Soil Health field day. (Courtesy photo)