Hosted by the horticulture program at St. Louis Community College, Meramec Campus, the workshop will be held Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. A panel discussion with all speakers will follow the individual presentations.
Geared to vegetable gardeners and native plant enthusiasts, farmers, and land and water conservation professionals, this soil health workshop produced by the Grow Native! program will present a wealth of information from four experts all traveling to St. Louis for this special learning opportunity.
See speakers, cost, and location details below.
Cost: Missouri Prairie Foundation/Grow Native! member: $40; non-member: $50. Student fee, with valid student ID: $20. Registration includes morning refreshments and lunch. Vegetarian/vegan option available. All details and registration information for the Nov. 3workshop: http://grownative.org/events/november-3-2017-grow-native-soils-workshop/ Registration deadline: Oct. 27.
Location: St. Louis Community College, Meramec, 11333 Big Bend Rd, St. Louis, MO 63122. The workshop, exhibitors, breaks, and lunch will be located in the Room 200/201 on the second floor of the Student Center. A detailed map and parking instructions will be provided to registrants.
—Dr. Elaine Ingham, internationally acclaimed soil microbiologist of Corvallis, Oregon, is the founder, president, and director of research for Soil Foodweb Inc. Dr. Ingham will present on the soil food web as is relates to soil, plant growth, native gardening, vegetable/fruit gardening, and row crop agriculture.
—Doug Peterson of Des Moines, Iowa, regional soil health specialist for Missouri and Iowa with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will speak on the topic of achieving and maintaining healthy soil and water quality and conduct a water demonstration.
—Dr. Alice Tipton, a post-doctoral researcher on mycorrhizal fungi at the University of Kansas, and Dr. Liz Koziol, Kansas Biological Station and The Land Institute, studying mycorrhizal fungi as soil inoculants, will present on the role of mycorrhizal fungi in original prairie and reconstructed grasslands.
“We are very pleased to be able to present this workshop featuring expert speakers who will cover many aspects of soil health critical to food production, ecological stability, and quality of life,” said Carol Davit, executive director of the Missouri Prairie Foundation, which runs the Grow Native! program.
Great Rivers Greenway is sponsoring four student registrations to this workshop; students interested (and not already registered), and have a valid student ID, please call 573-356-7828.
Landscape architects may receive 3.5 CEUs for attending and completing this workshop.
Workshop special presenting sponsors: landesign and Roeslein Alternative Energy
The Nov. 3 workshop is made possible in partnership with Deer Creek Watershed Alliance (DCWA), which is hosting Dr. Ingham for a series of learning activities on Thursday, Nov. 2. Visit http://www.deercreekalliance.org/speaker-series for details on the Nov. 2 event.
Grow Native! is a 17-year-old native plant marketing and education program serving the lower Midwest. Grow Native! is administratively housed by the nonprofit Missouri Prairie Foundation, named the Conservation Organization of the Year for 2016 on March 10, 2017, by the Conservation Federation of Missouri. For more information about the Grow Native! program or the Missouri Prairie Foundation, call 888-843-6739 or send a message to grownative@moprairie.org.
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