As a follow up to our 2025 Cultivating Resilience Winter Conference, Ottawa Conservation District has partnered up with Rough Diamond Dairy (15637 16th Ave, Coopersville, MI 49404) for a free cookout lunch to learn how no-till and cover crop planting can improve your soil health. Check out soil pits, learn how to complete a soil health assessment, and network with a variety of local seed & fertilizer dealer representatives and soil health consultants!

Current Working Agenda

12:00 pm-12:45pm: Lunch (provided by Green Vale Farms, paid for by Dairyland Seed Co and drinks donated by Mud Lake Farm)
– Network with local seed & fertilizer dealer representatives and soil health consultants, including Channel Seed, Dairyland Seed Co, Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC, Vriesland Growers Co-op, Rob See Co, Bosch Cover Crop Seed, and Delta Institute)

12:50-1:00pm: Introduction and MAEAP Highlight (Andrew Booher – Ottawa Conservation District MAEAP Tech)

1:00-1:10pm: Learn about the site (Tim VanDyke, Rough Diamond Dairy and Matt Lubbers, Channel Seed)

Split up into two groups and switch after 25 min:

Site 1: Soil Pit Discussion – see the benefits of cover crops, no till, etc on soil health! (John Craft, Channel Seed Agronomist and Ben Jordan, Ottawa Conservation District)

Site 2: Soil Health Kits and Assessment (Alex Svoboda, Regen Ag Field Specialist, MDARD and Andrew Booher, Ottawa Conservation District MAEAP Tech)

2:00pm: Thank you!

This event is FREE and includes free lunch! All attendees will also go home with some free soil health assessment tools!

Thank you local sponsors! – Channel Seeds, Delta Institute, Vriesland Growers, Helena Agri-Enterprises, LLC, and Dairyland Seed.

Also thank you to our grant sponsors who supported the Learn. Conserve. Farm Grant: Michigan Farm Bureau, GreenStone Credit Services, Corn Marketing Program of Michgian, Michigan Milk Producers Association, Michigan Pork Producers Association, and MSU Extension.