Held at Ski-Hi Complex in Monte Vista

ALAMOSA – Colorado Department of Agriculture, Acres USA, and Mosca Hooper Conservation District are excited to host a free Colorado STAR regional event on Saturday, August 13, 2022.

This farm tour event will include a keynote address from Jimmy Emmons, nationally renowned soil health champion and agricultural producer who has demonstrated successful soil-building practices on his farm in Oklahoma.

In addition to the keynote speaker, there will be tours of two local farms and ranches (transportation provided), program updates, guest speakers from the Colorado legislature, breakout rooms on soil science, on-farm economics and other topics, and a panel discussion with local farmers and ranchers practicing soil health.

STAR (Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources) was created by conservation districts for conservation districts. Built upon a practice-based rating system, STAR assigns points for cropping, tillage, nutrient application and other best management practices based upon a 10-minute form that producers fill out about each field.

As a result, the farmer or rancher receives a STAR rating from 1-5 stars that helps them understand how well they are doing in promoting soil health. 

At its core, the purpose of STAR is to create a new way for conservation districts to interact with landowners about the health of their soil, structuring and guiding those conversations with common, mutually understood language around the crucial five soil health principles. 

To attend this first in a series of regional STAR events, please register with the link provided below and join fellow farmers and ranchers at 8 a.m., Saturday, August 13 at the Ski Hi complex in Monte Vista, Colorado."

Registration link: https://events.acresusa.com/e/colorado-star-farm-tour

For more information about keynote speaker Jimmy Emmons, check out his blog at https://www.blogs.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/ok/soils/health/?cid=STELPRDB1260243,