Soil Quality Workshop
Soil Quality: The Foundation for Natural Resource Quality (Wednesday, July 25th)
Download Detailed Agenda Here
Soil quality is a major determinant of water and air quality as well as soil biodiversity and productivity. Understanding these relationships and how to build soil quality can substantially improve conservation management of our natural resources and farm income. This one-day workshop will introduce soil quality concepts as well as current opportunities for improved management, assessment, environmental policy, and research. Participants will discover and discuss applications for soil quality concepts to help solve local, regional and global environmental issues.
General and concurrent sessions will include discussions of management systems to build soil quality for different land uses such as cropland, grasslands, and forest ecosystems. Current methods for soil quality assessment; both in-field and models will be presented and demonstrated. Forward thinking national policies and practices from North America, South America, and
Presenters will use various formats to bring you the latest information on these related topics with time set aside in each session for interactive brainstorming and problem-solving. Continuing education units (CEUs) will be offered in multiple disciplines. A special Soil Quality Poster Session will also be held in conjunction with the General Poster Session and during the workshop. This workshop, organized by the SWCS chapters in the Southeast Region, USDA-NRCS Soil Quality National Technology Development Team, and the Soil Science Society of America (S-3) Soil Quality Workgroup, will bring together practitioners, researchers, educators, and policy makers in a unique forum for discovery and application.
The morning general session will serve as an overview of the day, with the rest of the workshop taking a focused look at specific topics and issues. The general session will examine what soil quality is, why soil quality is a foundation for natural resource conservation, and how soil quality relates to water, air, and biological diversity. This session will conclude with presentations about current trends, opportunities and issues related to soil quality.
The rest of the day will be broken into four sections, each designed to look further into the topics discussed in General Assembly 1. Sections 1 - 3 are each a block of concurrent sessions, separated by land use or resource concern. Each will include time dedicated to discussions of issues related to assessment of soil quality and policy, interactive brainstorming and problem-solving. The final section, General Assembly 2, brings everyone back together to “wrap-up” the workshop with reports and further discussion from each of the concurrent sessions. A complete agenda is available online at www.swcs.org/soilquality
Lead organizers: Susan Andrews, USDA-NRCS, Dory Franklin, USDA-ARS
Fee: $100 ($125 late)
Minimum: 75
Maximum 200
Schedule: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 – 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Soil Quality: the Foundation for Natural Resource Conservation
A 1-Day Workshop
Co-sponsored by the Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Southeastern Chapter;
the Soil Science Society of America’s S-3 Soil Quality Working Group; and
the USDA-NRCS National Soil Quality Technology Development Team
8 am – 10:00 am The Foundation Resource
General Session (Dr. Susan Andrews, USDA, NRCS – Moderator)
in the theater
Why Soil Quality?
- Dr. Bill Puckett, USDA-NRCS Deputy Chief for SS&RA
The Relationship Between Soil Quality And Other Natural Resources: -Soil Quality and Water Quality
- Dr. Dory Franklin, USDA-ARS
-Soil Quality and Air Quality
- Dr. Alan Franzluebbers, USDA-ARS
-Soil Quality, Biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Dr. Cindy Cambardella, USDA-ARS
Soil Quality Assessment Techniques
- Dr. Doug Karlen, USDA-ARS
Need for Soil Policy in the
- Mr. Craig Cox, Executive Director, SWCS
10:00 to 10:30 am Networking break
10:30 – 12:00 pm The Role of Soil Quality in Current Environmental Issues
Pick two Format: case studies or regional issues presentation and discussion
45 min. sessions Two 20 minute presentations per session plus 20 minute discussion
a-sessions a- Energy Biomass Production and Soil Quality
begin at 10:30 (Dr. Miguel Cabrera, UGA – Moderator)
Residue Removal and Soil Quality
- Dr. Susan Andrews, USDA-NRCS SQ Team Leader
Biomass Production and Soil Carbon
- Dr. Jane Johnson, USDA-ARS, Morris MN
` a- Management Impacts on Soil Quality
(Dr. Alan Franzluebbers, ARS- Moderator)
Soil Management and Carbon Trading
- Dr. Ratan Lal, The
Dynamic Soil Properties in Soil Survey
- Ms. Arlene Tugel, USDA-NRCS, Soil Survey Division
******
b-sessions b- SQ and Water Conservation
begin at 11:15 (Dr. Dana Sullivan, ARS – Moderator)
Conservation Tillage for Water Conservation
- Dr. Francisco Arriaga, USDA-ARS,
Runoff and Herbicide Transport Under Conservation Systems
- Dr. Martin Shipitalo,
b- SQ & Global Policy
(Dr. Sarah Workman, NRCS – Moderator)
The European Union’s Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection –
- Dr. Dick Thompson, Director, National Soil Res. Inst.
Soil Quality and Policy in
- Dr. Francisco Rodrigues-Holanda, Federal
12 pm – 1 pm Lunch
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
Presentations followed by facilitated group discussions to problem-solve and brainstorm on solutions, opportunities or needs for management, outreach, education, research, and policy.
1 pm – 2:45 pm Management Techniques for Better Soil Quality
Pick one
Concurrent 1) Soil Quality for Water Management
Session1-3 (Dr. Franciso Arriaga, ARS – Moderator)
Water Conservation in Arid Dryland Cropping Systems
- Dr. Merle Vigil, USDA-ARS Akron, CO
Managing Saline Soils
- Mr. Ray Archuleta, USDA-NRCS National SQ Team
Irrigation and Tillage Management
- Dr. Dana Sullivan, USDA-ARS,
Soil Management Techniques to Improve Water Quality
- Dr. Seth Dabney, USDA-ARS,
2) Quality Soil Management on Croplands
(Dr. Cindy Cambardella - Moderator)
Conservation Management In Cropping Systems
- Dr. Francisco Rodrigues-Holanda, Federal
Conservation Tillage in the
- Dr. Jeff Mitchell,
Tillage and Cover Cropping Effects on Soil Quality
- Dr. George Naderman, NC State (retired)
Managing Soil Quality in Organic v. Conventional Systems
- Dr. Michelle Wander,
3) Soil Quality in Grazinglands and
(Dr. Holli Kuykendall – Moderator)
Managing Soils in Rangelands
- Mr. Jerry Daigle, USDA-NRCS LA
Pasture Management for Soil Quality
- Mr. Dan Wallace, USDA-NRCS,
- Dr. Holli Kuykendall, USDA-NRCS,
Healthy
- Mr. Lyn Townsend, USDA-NRCS,
2:45 to 3:00 pm Short break
3:00 pm- 4:00 pm Assessing Soil Quality
Pick One
Concurrent 1) Field & Lab Assessment
Session1-4 (Dr. George Naderman – Moderator)
Soil Health Assessment
- Dr. John Idowu,
Soil Quality Field Assessment
- Mr. Mike Sucik, USDA-NRCS, State Soil Scientist,
2) Soil Quality Estimation Using Models
(Mr. Norm Widman- Moderator)
The Soil Conditioning Index
- Dr. Ted Zobeck, USDA-ARS,
Estimating Soil Quality for the National SQ Assessment Project:
A Subcomponent of CEAP
- Dr. L. Norfleet, USDA-ARS, RIAD
3) US Policy and SQ Assessment
(Dr. Dory Franklin - Moderator)
Soil Quality in US Policy
- Mr. Craig Cox, Executive Director, SWCS
Soil Quality in the Proposed 2007 Farm Bill
- Ms. Carole Jett, USDA-NRCS Farm Bill Coordinator
4:00 pm -5 pm Where Do We Go From Here?
Full Session Short reports from moderators the day’s sessions and follow-up discussion
in the theater Moderators: Drs. Dory Franklin and Susan Andrews
