STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi growers and those across the Midwest and mid-South still have time to take advantage of two opportunities to improve soil health and water quality while protecting profitability on their farms.

The first opportunity is Good Idea Shop Talks, a free meet-up series for row crop and livestock farmers who want to exchange ideas and advice for troubleshooting on-farm challenges related to improving soil and water resources. These sessions will help producers connect with and learn from each other about how to be good stewards while protecting their profitability.

“The Shop Talks are designed for honest conversations among farmers,” said co-organizer Amanda Gumbert, Extension water quality specialist with University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension. “There are no formal presentations from ‘experts,’ so there is plenty of time for farmers to talk to each other.”

Weekly, virtual sessions are set for Jan. 18, Jan. 25 and Feb. 1 at 11:30 a.m. Learn more about the shop talks and register at https://goodideafarm.org/shop-talks/.

The second opportunity is Good Idea Mini-Grants, which invites pairs of growers and farm advisors to submit proposals to implement low-cost, edge-of-field conservation practices on the farmer’s land. The grant-funded project concludes with the creation of a video or podcast about what they learned.

Edge-of-field practices help reduce erosion and nutrient loss at farm field edges and waterways and include practices such as vegetated buffers, prairie strips, two-stage ditches and restored wetlands.

“The mini-grants provide a unique opportunity for farmers to try something new at a small-scale that’s relatively low risk,” said co-organizer Beth Baker, associate Extension professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Small practice changes can still have big impacts, and it’s often small steps that help folks make long-term changes.”

Mini-grant awards are up to $8,000. Growers must apply by Jan. 22 at https://www.reach.msstate.edu/grant-application.php.

Good Idea Shop Talks and Mini-Grants are the result of a collaboration between Mississippi State University Extension Service, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Funding for the project is provided by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and the Walton Family Foundation.

Both opportunities are offered through One Good Idea, an online platform that facilitates farmer-to-farmer learning about on-farm conservation practices, ranging from cover crops and no-till to prairie strips and rotational grazing. As a clearinghouse of videos and podcasts featuring farmers sharing their practical experiences with conservation practices, its goal is to help farmers find ideas that can work on their operations and increase the adoption and maintenance of conservation practices.

In addition to Mississippi producers, these opportunities are open to those in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana. Learn more at https://goodideafarm.org/.

Editor’s Note: Adapted from a University of Wisconsin-Madison Division Extension press release.