Soil Profile | Source: NRCS
Precipitation event intensity, timing and location variability continue to increase. Join Justin Mount to improve your understanding of why annual row crop farmers’ soil resource resiliency can be determined by modeling cropping systems and observing the soil metric, Soil Condition Index (SCI).
This webinar will briefly discuss observed and predicted rainfall variations across the country, define the functions of healthy soils, explain what SCI is and why it is a foundational soil resource metric for farmers. Justin will also explain how cropping systems can be modeled using the Integrated Erosion Tool (IET) and actions farmers can avoid or implement to increase financial resiliency.
Justin Mount is a fifth-generation farmer from southernmost IL where he grew up raising beef cattle and directed field and forage crop production. Justin has worked with the NRCS for 15 years in four distinct locations and is currently a natural resource specialist on detail to the USDA Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, IA.
Justin is a Certified Crop Advisor (CCA), has a B.S. in plant & soil science from University of Tennessee, a M.S. in forestry from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and is currently pursuing another M.S. degree in integrated resource management at Colorado State University.
For more information on his work, or if you have questions regarding the Integrated Erosion Tool (IET), please email justin.mount@usda.gov. This webinar is worth 1.5 continuing education units for certified crop advisors, certified professional agronomists, certified professional soil scientists and certified professional soil classifiers. One for soil and water management and 0.5 for nutrient management.