TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The University of Idaho, Natural Resources Conservation Service and local conservation districts have teamed up to bring producers virtual field days highlighting innovative practices for improving soil health.

The effort has already produced two videos. One features Twin Falls grower Lance Griff no-till planting corn into wheat residue. The other features Kimberly grower Todd Ballard no-till planting beans into cover crop and barley residue.

The producers talk about their management practices and reductions in the use of fuel, fertilizer, water and wear and tear on equipment — as well as the benefits to soil health.

Also scheduled is a virtual field day with father and son Fred and Cooper Brossi, organic farmers near Shoshone.

The idea for the virtual field days was hatched by the Twin Falls Soil and Water Conservation District, said Jackie Jamison, a soil health extension instructor shared by the university and NRCS.

“We identified and contacted producers doing innovative things to improve soil health on the farm,” she said.

The videos are followed up later with a Zoom video session with the producers in which participants can ask questions. The videos and Zoom session are recorded and posted to YouTube.

The organizers plan to do follow-up videos with Griff, Ballard and the Brossis about once a month through the season to track crop progress and compare their crops to conventional crops.

“This is the first year, kind of an initiation, but we hope to video other producers,” she said.

Those will be on a one-time basis not followed through the season, she said.

The team is still identifying gaps in its soil health presentations, such as the inclusion of livestock in systems, and hopes people doing innovative practices will get in touch, she said.

“At this point, it’s kind of an open call for folks who feel like they’re doing something that they would like to share,” she said.

The virtual tours aren’t meant to replace in-person field tours but are more in response to COVID-19 restrictions. It’s meant to supplement those and make field tours available to more people. It’s a busy time of the year, and farmers can’t always take time out to attend a tour, she said.

The videos and Zoom sessions aren’t on a set schedule due to the unpredictability of farming. The best bet for anyone who wants to participate in the Zoom sessions is to get on Jamison’s email list to receive notifications. She can be reached at jjamison@uidaho.edu .

All videos and Zoom sessions are posted to: https://bit.ly/3h1sBls