Upcoming field day to provide strategies for weather-ready farms

It’s not just you noticing it - the weather has been getting weirder. From bigger flips between wet and dry extremes to smokier skies to bigger storms, weather-related challenges are growing.

Want to learn strategies for your farm to prepare for and bounce back from weather extremes? Attend this upcoming field day!

Increased weather variability is making adaptation more difficult for many farmers across Minnesota. To help address the knowledge gap between what's happening and what can be done about it, we are hosting a field day on cultivating farm resilience on August 19 from 9am to 12pm at the Rosemount Research and Outreach Center.

This field day will be all about how smart conservation practices like reduced tillage, cover crops, and better irrigation, can make your farm more resilient to changing weather patterns. Our experts will discuss research updates and strategies that attendees can start using immediately.

If you want to attend, visit https://z.umn.edu/FarmResilience8-19. And, if you know someone who would be a good fit for this event, please pass this onto them! Walk-ins are welcome, but we encourage you to register by August 15 to guarantee that you receive lunch.

The event is co-hosted by UMN Climate Adaptation Partnership, Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District, UMN Extension, Minnesota Office for Soil Health, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Minnesota Farmers Union.

Agenda and Speakers

9:00 Welcome and Introduction - Katie Black, UMN Climate Adaptation Extension Educator

9:20 Soil Health and ET - Timothy Gieseke, UMN Ag Water Management Extension Educator

Explore the nuanced relationship between soil health and evapotranspiration (ET), asking whether—and how—soil health influences ET dynamics. Healthy soils, rich in organic matter and structure, can reduce unproductive evaporation while enhancing plant transpiration by improving water retention, root access, and microbial activity. This shifts the ET balance toward more efficient water use, especially under stress conditions like drought or heat.

9:50 Rainfall Demonstration - Bailey Tangen, UMN Soil Health Extension Educator, and Matthew Lundberg, MN NRCS District Conservationist

Learn more about how management practices impact your soils’ ability to capture rainwater for your crop and infiltrate it into the root zone. We’ll use a rainfall simulator to give real examples of differences in infiltration and runoff, supported by UMN research, and relate that to input costs and crop productivity.’

10:20 Cover Crop Management for Success - Eric Yu, UMN Crops Extension Educator, and Sithin Mathew, UMN PhD student

This session will explore the role of cover crops in cropping systems, with a focus on how they influence weed management, soil health, and crop productivity. Featured at the field event is a research project evaluating how cereal rye termination timing and herbicide programs affect soil moisture, soybean growth, and yield.

10:50 Discussion - Funding on-farm resilience with conservation - Dakota Soil Water Conservation District, MN NRCS, MN Ag Water Quality Certification Program

Contact Katie Black, black807@umn.edu, with any questions.

We hope to see you there!