Newton Kansan
HESSTON —
Many of us don’t think about the dirt that lies beneath our feet, but it is vitally important to the production of food for Kansans and people around the world.
It took the Kansas prairie thousands of years to produce Kansas dirt, which is some of the richest soil in world, said Brad Guhr, education director of Dyck Arboretum of the Plains.A daylong conference titled “Good Dirt: Saving the Building Blocks of Life Beneath Our Feet” will discuss the history of how Kansas soils were formed, current conservation practices and the future sustainability of food production in Kansas.Guhr said the conference is connected to the arboretum’s prairie education and conservation mission.“We have great resources in Kansas,” Guhr said of the speakers. “Our landscape has some of the best soils in the world, and the prairie land contributed to that legacy.”The four speaker invited for the conference include; Rolfe Mandel, professor, department of anthropology, The University of Kansas, who will speak on the history of the formation of Kansas soils; Jim French, lead organizer for OXFAM America, who will speak on ancient and modern sustainable agriculture; Adrian Polansky, secretary of agriculture, Kansas Department of Agriculture, who will speak on no-till farming; and Wes Jackson, president of the Land Institute, who will speak on perennial food crops in a 50-year farm bill.Guhr said he hoped the group will present a diversity of views that will open up a civil discourse on soil conservation.At the end of the conference, there will be time to ask the speakers questions.The conference will be from 9 to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 28. at the arboretum. The cost is $35 for members and $42 for non-members. The cost includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Registration can be made by calling (620) 327-8127 and can be made up until and including the day of the conference.For a full schedule, go to the arboretum’s Web site at www.dyckarboretum.org. Go to the events and classes section.
