Cover Crops and Soil Health Intensive with Dr. Christine Jones

Dr. Christine Jones, is a renowned and highly respected Soil Ecologist and Cover Crop Specialist. She has a wealth of experience working with innovative landholders to implement regenerative land management practices that enhance biodiversity, increase biological activity, sequester carbon, activate nutrient cycles, restore water balance, and improve crop productivity.

Dr. Jones joins us from Australia for a cover crops intensive focusing on carbon sequestration and regenerative soil practices. She has played a crucial role in the carbon credits program and regenerative agriculture efforts in Australia, and we are honored to have her featured in this intensive.

Additionally, we have gathered a panel of local innovative farmers to discuss practical application of cover crops for soil health. This will be followed by an open Q&A session to facilitate farmer-to-farmer learning. 

Dr. David Johnson joins us on Day 2 for a hands-on workshop focusing on the construction, use, and testing of the Johnson-Su BEAM Compost Bioreactor. Attendees will get their hands dirty, so come dressed for field work.

Register for the event.(opens in new window)

Itinerary

June 24th – Monday

8:00–8:30am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30-8:45am: Welcome - Dr. Tim LaSalle, Co-Founder Center for Regenerative Agriculture, CSU Chico

8:45–10:15am: Part 1: A Fresh Look at Microbes with Dr. Christine Jones: Soil Ecologist; Soil Scientist; Cover Crop Specialist; Founder Amazing Carbon(opens in new window)

10:15-10:30am: Break

10:30–12:00pm: Part 2: The Extraordinary Power of Diversity – Dr. Christine Jones

12:00–1:00pm: Lunch

1:00–2:30pm: Farmer Cover Crop Panel - Economic evaluations: Moderated by Dr. Cindy Daley

• Rory Crowley – Covers in Orchard Systems - Chico, CA
• Clayton Handy – Covers in Orchard Systems - Corning, CA
• Daniel Unruh – Covers in Orchard Systems – Colusa, CA
• Mark Biaggi – Use of cover crops in rangeland – Pescadero, CA 

2:30–3:00pm: Break

3:30–5:00pm: Part 3: The Nitrogen Dilemma – Dr. Christine Jones

June 25th – Tuesday – Bioreactor Workshop – Dr. David Johnson

8:30–9:30am: Overview of the process of constructing the BEAM Bioreactor

• With an explanation of each step - critical steps - essentials for a good result
• Where to test your BEAM – what the bioassay results should look like 

9:30-11:30am: BEAM Bioreactor Workshop with David and Hui-chun Su Johnson

• Come watch David and Hui-chun build a bio-reactor from scratch
• Interactive hands-on workshop with the end result – a fully functioning BEAM bioreactor

Register for the event.(opens in new window)