The 8th annual Conservation in Action Tour, hosted by the Conservation Technology Information Center, will be held Aug. 11-12 in Minnesota.

The tour provides a hands-on, up-close opportunity to cover innovations in conservation farming.

The event begins with an evening social on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The tour starts early Wednesday morning, August 12.

Conservation in Action Tour to visit Southeast Minnesota

Participants will hear speakers and visit sites that include the following:
•Small vegetable farmers from the Hmong American Farmers Association
•Leaders in corn, soybean, pasture and cattle management
•John Linc Stine, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
•Matt Wohlman, assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
•John Jaschke, executive director of the Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources
•Bruce Peterson, president of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (who will be showing us his farm)

A wide range of topics in conservation agriculture will be discussed including:
•Minnesota's new buffer initiative
•Farming with endangered species
•Nitrogen management programs, including Encirca, Nitrate Now and the 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship
•Research tools, including rainfall simulators and soil pits
•Saturated buffers and agricultural drainage water management
•Soil health
•Pollinator habitat
•Manure management
•Water quality challenges facing farmers along the Mississippi, which ties Minnesota agriculture directly to the health of the Gulf of Mexico

Register online for the tour at: www.ctic.org/CIATours

The 2015 Conservation in Action Tour is organized by CTIC in partnership with the Goodhue, Rice and Dakota Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts; Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources; Minnesota Department of Agriculture; Minnesota Agricultural Water Resource Center; Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Mosaic Company is the 2015 Conservation in Action tour leader sponsor. Evening social is sponsored by John Deere.