August 24, 2021
Innovation Farm Field Day to Focus on Water Quality, Soil Health
The Flickner Innovation Farm will host a field day event on Tuesday, August 31, highlighting current work by local producers, industry members and Kansas State University researchers to conserve water use while improving water quality and soil health.
The in-person event will take place at the Flickner family farm in Moundridge and will feature experts speaking on a variety of subjects, including the use of various irrigation technologies as well as soil health and carbon studies. Those who attend the field day will have opportunities to ask questions and get advice about how they can apply these techniques in their own operations.
“We are focused on ensuring that natural resources here are utilized in a way that makes the farm not only profitable but also improves the land, air and water for future generations,” said Ray Flickner, who is the 5th generation in his family to farm the property in Moundridge. “The Innovation Farm is just an extension of that belief.”
The program begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m. The event is free and lunch will be provided. This year’s field day is part of the Kansas Corn Association’s Summer Listening Tour. More information about registration is available online at www.kscorn.com or from the Kansas Center for Agricultural Resources and the Environment.
Some of the topics and demonstrations planned during the field day include:
• Participants will have the opportunity to see demonstrations from an interseeder, a machine designed to plant cover crops and apply herbicides and fertilizer.
• K-State faculty members will discuss ongoing research projects focused on soil health and water quality.
• Organizers will demonstrate the automated drone system at the farm, which captures high-resolution imagery of fields to help farmers identify various crop conditions. Field day participants will be able to watch the drone in flight and learn how the Innovation Farm is using this new type of imagery in day-to-day decision-making.
The Innovation Farm is a partnership between Flickner, K-State agronomists, watershed specialists and industry leaders. Together, they are conducting studies in a large-farm setting to identify the most efficient technologies and techniques for Kansas producers to use on their own farms.