Tech Talks is a online training series organized by the Technical Training and Certification Program. Rotating speakers cover a wide variety of technical topics at 1:00 on Mondays. The list of Tech Talks and links to replays for 2023 can be found below.
TTCP
United States
| Date | Topic | Description |
|---|---|---|
| January 23 | TTCP Onboarding | This training will provide newer employees with an orientation to the Technical Training and Certification Program. Participants will become familiar with the training resources that are available to them through TTCP. In addition, participants will start to develop their own personalized learning plan. Those who plan to attend should bring your job description to the training and ask around to find out the five most commonly used conservation practices in your work area. |
| February 6 | Native Vegetation Guidelines and BWSR Programs: Decision Making for Successful Projects | This Tech Talk will highlight the revisions to the Native Vegetation Establishment and Enhancement Guidelines including:
BWSR presenters are Dan Shaw, Brad Wozney, and Suzanne Rhees. A replay of this session can be found here. |
| February 27 | HY-8 (Culvert Design) | Join Elizabeth Oolman, NRCS H&H Engineer, discuss everything culverts. You will learn about culvert basics, how to design a culvert using a nomograph, and how to design a culvert using HY-8. Useful References:
HY-8 Software: A replay of this session can be found here. |
| March | No sessions | Tech Talks were not held in March due to the four Basic Cover Crop webinars. |
| April 3 | Livestock Forage Balance Worksheet | This Tech Talk will provide an overview of the Livestock Forage Balance Sheet available in Section IV of the eFOTG under the 528 Prescribed Grazing Conservation Practice Standard. We will discuss how to develop the livestock and forage inventory portions of the forage balance worksheet. Also, we will discuss the equations used to develop the livestock/forage balance and how to use those calculations in the field. A replay of this session can be found here. |
| April 17 | TTCP Onboarding (Repeat) | This training will provide newer employees with an orientation to the Technical Training and Certification Program. Participants will become familiar with the training resources that are available to them through TTCP. In addition, participants will start to develop their own personalized learning plan. Those who plan to attend should bring your job description to the training and ask around to find out the five most commonly used conservation practices in your work area. |
| May 8 | Economics of Soil Loss | This Tech Talk will highlight the economic and social implications of soil loss. From a farm level economic perspective, soil is an important input in agriculture production and productivity. Loss of soil is not only a concern for agriculture producers, as the movement of soil off of fields has downstream effects. In this session, participants will become familiar with the current approaches used to evaluate economic value of soil loss. Additionally, they will become familiar with the evidence surrounding the costs and benefits of conservation practices that reduce soil loss. A better understanding of the economic values of soil loss provides insight on the role of conservation in farming practices and policy. A replay of this session can be found here. |
| May 22 | Wildlife Habitat Planting (CPS 420) | Join Jeff Kalin, NRCS Wildlife Biologist, and Karin Jokela, Xerces Society Pollinator Planner and Partner Biologist, for a Tech Talk on the new Wildlife Habitat Planting practice (CPS 420). In this session, we will discuss:
A replay of this session can be found here. |
| September 25 | TTCP Onboarding (Repeat) | This training will provide newer employees with an orientation to the Technical Training and Certification Program. Participants will become familiar with the training resources that are available to them through TTCP. In addition, participants will start to develop their own personalized learning plan. Those who plan to attend should bring your job description to the training and ask around to find out the five most commonly used conservation practices in your work area. |
| October 30 | Audubon Conservation Ranching comes to Minnesota | The Audubon Conservation Ranching (ACR) program, Audubon's flagship grassland habitat initiative, is a collaborative effort between farmers, ranchers, and Audubon to address the decline of grassland bird populations. This market-based conservation approach offers incentives for good grassland stewardship through a certification label on beef and bison products. Krysten works closely with farmers and ranchers in Minnesota that are interested in certification. In this talk she will share background on the ACR program, the pillars it was built on, and what the process for certification looks like for participating graziers. A replay of this session can be found here. |
November 13 9:00 am | Controlled Traffic Farming, Conservation Harvest Management, and Field Operations Emissions Reduction | Join Ryan Buetow, NRCS State Agronomist for a Tech Talk on the new practices Controlled Traffic Farming (CPS 334), Conservation Harvest (CPS 809), and Field Operations Emissions Reduction (CPS 376). In this session we will discuss common examples of how these practices may be used and an overview of practice requirements. A replay of this session can be found here. |
November 13 1:00 pm | Amending Soil Properties with Lime | Ryan Buetow, NRCS State Agronomist will discuss the foundation of soil management and all the impacts that pH has on crop growth, nutrient availability, and soil microbial activity. The new interim practice Amending Soil Properties with Lime (CPS 805) will be discussed along with implementation requirements, common examples of how this practice will be used, and required reporting. A replay of this session can be found here. |
| November 27 | Annual Forages for Grazing Systems (CPS 810) | This Tech Talk will provide an overview of the interim CPS 810 Annual Forages for Grazing Systems Conservation Practice Standard, Implementation Requirements, and common examples of how this practice may be used. We will also provide an overview of the technical information that has been developed for this practice, which includes Technical Note 34: Annual Forages for Grazing Systems and the Minnesota Annual Forages for Grazing Systems Design Workbook. Finally, as an interim practice, reporting on the application of this practice is required, so we will discuss the Annual Forages for Grazing Systems Practice Evaluation Worksheet. A replay of this session can be found here. |