Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

BOZEMAN, Montana, November 17, 2023 – The Montana Association of Conservation Districts and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will be hosting the 2024 Montana Soil Health Symposium on Feb. 6-8 at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center.

The symposium will feature Kelsey Scott of the DX Ranch on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, Anne Bikle who wrote What Your Food Ate: How to Heal the Land and Reclaim our Health, and Dr. Jon Lundgren of the ECDYSIS Foundation and CEO for Blue Dasher Farm. The additional pre-conference workshop on Feb. 6 brings Joshua and Tara Dukart of First Seek Ranch near Bismark to Montana to present Holistic Management.

The Soil Health Symposium provides an opportunity for farmers, ranchers, gardeners, and technical specialists from all different landscapes, generations, and levels of experience to network and share their stories, successes, and lessons learned in the pursuit of soil management. Topics will range from virtual fencing for pasture management and winter grazing to making your own compost for large scale acreages and geothermal greenhouses and community agriculture. Adding to these speakers are eight Montana producers covering topics relevant to farmers, ranchers, and gardeners of all sizes working to produce healthy, nutritious foods using the soil health principles.

The pre-conference workshop will be on Holistic Management with Joshua and Tara Dukart, held on Feb. 6. Holistic Management provides a framework for decision-making that is rooted in the fundamentals of ecosystem processes. It also provides a suite of planning procedures that includes planned grazing, land planning, financial planning, and ecological monitoring. This registration is separate from the symposium and space is limited.

Early bird registration for the symposium ends November 30, 2023, so register soon! Special pricing is also available for students and interns enrolled in educational agriculture programs.