BROOKINGS — South Dakota State University Extension and the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association invite the public to attend a Soil Health and Cover Crop Field Day for vegetable growers.

The event is from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 5 at Blue Sky Vegetable Co. near Worthing. It is free to attend, and registration is requested. To register and see a full schedule, visit the SDSU Extension Events page and search “specialty.”

Watch for signs that will direct visitors to parking upon arrival. The farm tour will include walking, so attendees are encouraged to wear shoes that can get dirty.

Anyone interested in learning how to manage cover crops and soil health while growing vegetables is welcome to attend this interactive event. Current and beginning farmers, technical service providers and gardeners are especially encouraged to join.

Kristine Lang, assistant professor and SDSU Extension consumer horticulture specialist, and graduate assistant Connor Ruen will share their research on using clover cover crops as living pathways.

Lang is excited for the field day to discuss the benefits and challenges of incorporating cover crops into vegetable production. She said keeping mowed pathways planted to cover crops can reduce weeds, erosion from wind and rain, and keep produce cleaner, but may affect yields.

“The past two seasons have been a true ‘tale of two seasons’ where we've been able to evaluate the establishment of cover crops during a dry year followed by an extremely wet season,” Lang said.

She added that an ongoing study at the SDSU Southeast Research Farm is showing improvements to soil health after two or more years of using cover crops.

“We recognize that those benefits take time to see on the farm,” she said. “It's important for farmers to weigh all of these factors and potentially try a smaller portion of their production area to fine-tune these methods for their unique farm.”

Dirk and Kjersten Oudman, owners of Blue Sky Vegetable Co., will lead a farm tour and share their experiences growing vegetables through South Dakota’s weather extremes, including dry, windy and wet seasons.

Blue Sky Vegetable Co. is a diverse vegetable farm that grows more than 30 vegetable varieties and focuses on land stewardship through protecting soil health, water conservation and natural solutions to pest problems. It primarily serves 85 families in the Sioux Falls area through a weekly farm share subscription box.

“As we're still learning about the soil on our farm, 2024 has been quite the teacher when it comes to seeing what tillage, cover crops, and our farming system does to our soil,” Dirk and Kjersten said in a written statement. “Come observe and learn with us about the positives we've seen in our soil (cover crops) and the lows (deep tillage and heavy equipment). Tour around with us as we assess where our soil and farm is at and plan for improvements in the future.”

The Oudmans will also discuss plant fertility management and extending growing seasons with high tunnels and greenhouses. Morgan Hughes of the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association will provide information on their resources.

Throughout the day, attendees will have time to ask questions and network. A free picnic lunch will be served after the tour and presentations. Seating is limited, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair or picnic blanket. Pets are not allowed.

Learn more about ongoing research by Lang, Ruen and the SDSU Extension team on the horticulture page.

For more information, contact Lang at 605-688- 5796 or Kristine.Lang@ sdstate.edu.