LISBON -- The New York Grazing Coalition, Organic Valley Cooperative and Cornell Cooperative Extension are hosting a free on-farm healthy soils workshop for dairy operators who graze their cows.

It will be hosted from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at the No Grain Dairy of Bob Zufall, 21 Campbell Road. It will include hands-on learning opportunities with the National Grazinglands Coalition soil health trailer.

The trailer is equipped to measure and demonstrate vital physical, chemical and biological components of soil health.

Workshop participants will use penetrometers to measure soil compaction and see a demonstration of the active carbon test that measures how much food the soil contains for the biological organisms that support soil health.

NY Organic Dairy Initiative Coordinator Fay Benson will compare soil management plots under a rainfall simulator to measure soil aggregate stability.

“Soil health is being identified as the limiting factor to productivity on many farms nationwide,” Benson said. “While seed companies and agronomists have done an excellent job of improving seed selection and the nutrient or chemical composition of soils to support crop production, we now realize the need to also focus on the physical structure and biological life in the soil to maximize the value of our fields and pastures.”

Organic Valley Cooperative Soil Agronomist Mark Kopecky will present farm management factors that contribute to overall soil health and consequently the growth and productivity of grazing lands. He will cover the soil traits that affect rainwater runoff and infiltration.

The workshops include a short presentation on USDA Risk Management Agency policies to address the types of farm risks that are more difficult to manage and a light lunch. Register: 607-753-5078, etf22@cornell.edu