Registration for 406 Agronomy Summit Opens

Regular ticket sales opened on November 1 for the Fourth Annual 406 Agronomy Summit which will be held January 11-12, 2022 in Havre, Montana. Although the Summit will be an in-person event held at the Duck Inn, event organizers remind area producers to obtain their tickets early so as to ensure a seat since limited seating is available.

The Agronomy Summit is a two-day event of agricultural education covering a range of current agronomy and technology topics that impact the farming landscape. In addition to sharing knowledge, this event will offer an opportunity for producers to network and exchange information with agronomy partners.

Tuesday’s workshops begin at 9:00 after a registration and welcome session at 8:00 a.m. Co-founder of Earth Dirt Soil, Elston Solberg will kick off the Summit with his talk, “Find the Signal in the Noise.” Often referred to as a “crop whisperer,” Solberg has over 25 years of research expertise through his work as Head Cereal Specialist and Research Agronomist with Alberta Agriculture. He has authored, co-authored, and published many research papers in a wide variety of technical and industry journals and has contributed to numerous articles throughout the ag media sector. One of the world’s foremost authorities on sulfur nutrition, Solberg has also raised the awareness of copper fertilization and nutrient balance.

Centering on the opportunities to use and trust data to make better decisions, Solberg’s presentation will explain that although water is a key nutrient, producers want to achieve balance in other nutrients, as well. He will encourage farmers to play around with nutrients, put out some elemental strips of sulfur, or start tissue testing to learn what the plants and soil are trying to say.

At 2:30 on Tuesday afternoon, Gabe Brown, Co-owner of Brown’s Ranch located east of Bismarck, North Dakota, will present “Building Resiliency: How to Integrate the Six Principles to Increase Profitability.” He will discuss the relationship between water, carbon, and biology and share management strategies that can lead to a farm that is much more resilient to drought, flooding, and temperature extremes.

On his ranch website (brownsranch.us), Brown shares his beliefs and vision. “We believe in and practice Holistic Management, a part of which is farming and ranching in nature’s image. We strive to solve problems in a natural and sustainable way. Improving soil health is a priority, so we have practiced no-till farming since 1993. A diverse cropping strategy, which includes cover and companion crops, has enabled us to eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides. We use minimal herbicide and are striving to eliminate it altogether. We do not use GMOs or glyphosate. Our ever-evolving grazing strategy allows most of our pastures a recovery period of over 360 days. These strategies have allowed the health of the soil, as well as the mineral and water cycles to greatly improve. In other words, the natural resources have benefited. This results in increased production, profit, and a higher quality of life for us. We are moving towards sustainability, for not only ours but future generations as well.”

Tuesday’s sectionals conclude at 5:00 p.m. with a social hour and dinner to follow. The ticket price includes registration for the Summit as well as all meals (breakfast, snacks, lunch, social hour and dinner).

After a 7:30 a.m. breakfast on Wednesday, January 12, sectionals will feature topics such as “Foliar Nutrition, the 2nd Stage of Your Fertility Program” by Dan Owens, Director of Market Development and Agronomic Services with ATP Nutrition; “$weet Wheat, Turning Up the Management” presented by Peter Johnson, Resident Agronomist with Real Agriculture; and “Grain & Fiber Hemp, Expanding Opportunities in Montana Agriculture” by Ben Brimlow, Lead Agronomist with IND Hemp.

Based in Fort Benton, IND HEMP is an agriculturally based business producing safe, high-quality hemp products for a variety of industries and consumers. Brimlow will share details about what it takes to grow hemp in Montana—from dryland fields to hail damage to a plague of grasshoppers. He will also introduce growers to a heart-healthy line of products. “We’re putting together a hemp heartline, and that’s just when they remove the shell off the hemp seed, and people will sprinkle it on their granola; they’ll put it in their oatmeal,” Brimlow explained.

Anyone interested in the Summit can find a full slate of workshops as well as additional information at 406agronomy.com, where individuals can also register to attend.