Outdoor Classroom – Educational Training Tours
All tours will take place on Wednesday, July 29. Departure and return times are subject to change. Final details will be provided at www.swcs.org/26AC. The tours will give exposure to interesting and informative conservation work happening in the area. Be sure to register early to secure a seat. SWCS reserves the right to cancel a tour that does not have the minimum number of attendees and to change the maximum number of attendees.
Tour #1: Regenerative Grazing on Working Land Farm Tour
Wednesday, July 29
1:30 PM – 6:00 PM
If you want to see regenerative agriculture working in real time, not just talked about on a stage, this farm tour is for you!
During this tour, in partnership with Lincoln University and University of Missouri Extension, attendees will hear how farmers and researchers are collaborating to implement, measure, and manage soil health principles. Farmers are looking for ways to build soil health, extend grazing seasons, reduce purchased feed, and strengthen their bottom line, all while meeting increasing environmental expectations. This innovative project in Truxton, Missouri, brings those goals together through a Conservation Innovation Grant supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The focus: using grain sorghum as a fall and winter forage for cattle and sheep as part of a year-round grazing system designed to improve both economic and ecological resilience.
What makes this operation stand out is the blend of research and practice. You’ll hear directly from the producers implementing the system and learn how researchers are measuring outcomes, from soil health and ground cover to livestock performance and system economics. It’s a rare opportunity to see how regenerative principles like continuous living cover, diversified rotations, and integrated livestock actually function.
Next, participants will visit Harry Cope’s farm, a Leopold Conservation Award winner. If you want to understand how conservation professionals can support systems that truly work for producers, this tour offers something you won’t get from a conference stage. It shows how innovation moves from grant concept to field implementation, how farmers and researchers learn together, and how soil health and profitability can reinforce one another.
Tickets: $75 early/$100 regular (after June 16)/$125 onsite (after July 16)
Tour #2: Streamside to Taproom Walking Tour
Wednesday, July 29
1:30 PM – 5:30 PM
Join Charlie Cole—SWCS member, Emerging Leader Program alumnus, and international award-winning brewmaster—on a walk to explore how water and agriculture shape one of the world’s most iconic beverages. Participants will also receive practical insight on how to build community around local grains, brews, and establishments to advance their own natural resource goals. The tour will also include some local history of St. Louis.
During this experience, attendees will walk to 4 Hands Brewing. The walk is approximate one mile each way and passes Busch Stadium, the Old Courthouse, and several lesser-known historical landmarks. Along this walk through St. Louis, Charlie will share his expertise in brewing, conservation, and community building. He’ll offer a brief history of how water, grains, hops, and yeast come together to create beer, and how he connected the nation’s most popular beverage to conservation through his SWCS Conservation Event Planner Certification by launching Kegs for Conservation. Sold as “Not Your Grandfather’s Field Day,” Kegs for Conservation explored the agricultural connections behind beer ingredients and the innovative ways they are being grown and brewed with a focus on conservation and sustainability.
Part community organizing master class, part conservation storytelling—where beer begins in the soil and ends in your glass. Don’t miss it! This is an active walking tour, so bring comfortable footwear.
Tickets: $50 early/$75 regular (after June 16) /$100 onsite (after July 16)