2008 AIM Conference - A Premier No Till On The Plains Educational Event

Thursday, January 31, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Bicentennial Center, Salina, KS

Interested in pushing your system to the limit? Join us for this Premier Symposium featuring Agriculture’s Innovative Minds. Any producer with a willingness and ability to excel is encouraged to attend!

In order to utilize your time in Salina, we are once again offering this exclusive event! The AIM Symposium is held in conjunction with the Winter Conference but is a separate meeting.

The premise of the AIM Symposium is to CHALLENGE THE INNOVATORS.

The exploration of cover crops, crop rotations and soil biology will be discussed in much greater detail than during the Winter Conference. Featuring dynamic interaction among these excellent speakers:

Gabe Brown, Bismarck, ND producer & Kenneth Miller, Burleigh County SCD
Dr. Kristine Nichols, USDA-NRCS, Mandan, ND
Dr. Telmo Amado of the University of Santa Maria, Brazil & Kansas State University
Gary Maskus and Mark Watson - No-till Producers

No-till on the Plains is proud to provide speakers with the background, experience, and limitless energy to give you a definite edge. Take advantage of their practical and comprehensive knowledge and real-life experience. Exceptional interaction and innovation is guaranteed! Materials and lunch are included in registration.

Materials only guaranteed for pre-registered the day of the event. Materials will be mailed to walk-in attendees.

This is an all-weather event. No refunds.

Registration: $150 $ 45 spouses

Pre-Registration is closed - You are welcome to register at the event!

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR ALL AIM ATTENDEES
Please read, complete, print out and bring the following two documents with you to the AIM Symposium!

AIM Agenda and Goals
AIM Instructions and Preparation

Reactions from those who attended last year's AIM Symposium

►Tremendous! ►Went into explanation of what he discussed at the conference… really cleared up questions from the conference. ►Material that I can take home and use today! ►Great practicality! ►Excellent! ►New ideas ►All the in-depth information ►Intriguing! ►Much information in short period of time! ►Extra one to one contact time. ►Email addresses provided for all other attendees. ►More time to go more in depth on the topics. ►Bringing in the best of the best! ►More time with the speakers

AIM Symposium Speakers
The primary goal of this meeting is to accelerate the learning curve concerning soil health, cover crops and crop rotations while remaining profitable. The positive effects of living biological activity in the soil are largely unknown to most producers. Producers should leave this meeting with an improved understanding of cover crops, crop rotations, and how to kick-start the biology in their systems. We will draw on the expertise from producers with climates and altitudes similar to ours as well as those higher, hotter, and drier than the bulk of those in attendance. Together we’ll learn of the successes and failures others have experienced and work towards developing a successful system that producers can take home and put into production. These are not theories – these producers are living it and enjoying the economic gains and benefits that improved soil health offers. If you are searching for ways to boost your No-till system, don’t miss this opportunity. We are truly excited about this follow-up event to a phenomenal Winter Conference.”

Telmo Amado, University of Santa Maria, Brazil
Telmo Amado, an adjunct professor at Kansas State University and No-till expert from South America, will share how crop rotations and cover crops can boost soil health, resulting in more profit for you.

Dr. Telmo Jorge Carneiro Amado is a Full Professor of Soil Conservation at the Federal University of Santa Maria in RS Brazil. He obtained his Ph.D. in Soil Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul / Auburn Univ., 1997. His research area of specialization is No-tillage systems, carbon sequestration in agriculture, cover crops and soil rehabilitation, soil quality, residue management, water and wind erosion control, tropical agriculture, sustainable agriculture, nitrogen cycle. Telmo is on sabbatical at KSU and is currently an adjunct faculty member there. More info about Telmo Amado....

Taking Stock of the Brazilian "Zero-Till Revolution": A Review Of Landmark Research and Farmers' Practice

Gabe Brown, Bismarck, North Dakota
Speaker Gabe Brown will share new head-turning economic data. Can you grow 140+ bushels of corn on less than 15 lbs. of commercial nitrogen?? Gabe does. With fertilizer prices continuing to rise, this is valuable information for today’s producer!

Gabe and Shelly Brown own and operate Brown’s Gelbvieh Ranch, located 2 miles east of Bismarck, ND. The Brown’s purchased the ranch in 1991 and built a 250 head purebred cow operation. The Brown’s started working toward a sustainable cropping system after purchasing a No-till drill in 1994. Gabe enjoys exploring legumes that can be used in both his livestock grazing system and the No-till cropping system, using soil health as the fertility indicator. This ND producer will enlighten you with his practical application utilizing continuous No-till crops and livestock in an extreme environment. This amazing farmer-rancher will become one of your favorites as you profit from his experiences.

The Thrill of Competition - Leading Edge Featured Farmer: Gabe Brown

Kenneth Miller, Burleigh County North Dakota Soil Conservation District
Kenneth Miller is a a farmer/rancher and a District Technician with the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District in Bismarck, North Dakota who works with clients to design & install planned grazing systems, the EQIP program and the District No-till program. Ken has 35 years farming/ranching experience with his wife Bonnie and son Ryan. They operate a 2000 acre cow/calf ranch have utilized an intensive rotational grazing system for over 20 years and a No-till cropping system for 6 years. He belongs to the Missouri Slope Irrigation Development Association and the North Private Grazing Lands Coalition. Ken has had an exciting year learning about cover crops.

Kris Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, Mandan, ND

The Biogeochemistry of Microbial Engineering

These and other questions will be answered at the AIM Symposium:

Can mineralization and organic matter levels increase in the same system?
Why are diversity and plant cover so important?
How can you plant a cover crop in a semi-arid, cold climate?

Visit these links for more information:

Kris's experience includes over 13 years of research on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi – a beneficial plant root symbiont that helps plants obtain nutrients from the soil. She has B.S. degrees in Plant Biology and in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota, a M.S. in Environmental Microbiology from West Virginia University, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland. Since 1996, Nichols has investigated glomalin – a glycoproteinaceous substance produced by AM fungi. Glomalin contributes to soil structure and plant health by helping to form and stabilize soil aggregates. Nichols has found that glomalin is a major component of soil organic matter (ca. 20%) in undisturbed soils and may be an agriculturally managed soil carbon sink. Kris is also studying the production of native prairie grasses for potential biofuel production and soil carbon storage.

Gary Maskus, Arriba, CO producer, No-till On The Plains Board Member, former president of the Colorado Conservation Tillage Association and successful No-tiller hails from a very arid region. You will immediately be able to relate your farm to his and learn from his experience. Gary is a member and former President of the Colorado Conservation Tillage Association. He also is the owner/operator of a dryland farm in Colorado, 50 miles west of the Kansas border, just north of I-70. With an elevation of 5200 ft. and a 16” annual rainfall, he gets the most out of his short grass prairie environment.

Managing His Ecology - Feature Farmer Article, Leading Edge 2005

Mark Watson, Alliance, NE
Mark farms 3,500 acres with his brother Bruce 10 miles north of Alliance, Nebraska. His farm has been in the family for approximately 115 years so Mark considers himself definitely born and bred to farm. They have been completely continuous No-till since 1994. Their farm is dryland and irrigated, raising wheat, corn, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, proso millet. Mark is married to Denise and has a son Jacob and daughter Hannah. Bruce and Mark have been selected as Master Conservationists for the state of Nebraska and will be receiving the award in September 2007. Mark Watson also serves as the No-till education coordinator for Western Nebraska. Mark will deliver an excellent presentation on the how’s and why’s of continuous No-till featuring real-world economics from his own operation.

“Breaking the tillage mindset” by Mark Watson

The Value Of Residue by Mark Watson The Value of Residue - Part 2 by Mark Watson

No-till Notes by Mark Watson

No-till and Water by Mark Watson

"Dryland" Farming by Mark Watson

Managing Residue Part 1 by Mark Watson Managing Residue Part 2 by Mark Watson Equipment to Handle Residue by Mark Watson

Upcoming No-till Conferences by Mark Watson