This free, virtual meet-up series is for producers who want to exchange ideas and advice for troubleshooting on-farm challenges related to improving soil and water resources.
Have you found yourself wishing you could talk to other producers who are using or considering conservation practices to improve their soil, land, and bottom lines?
Whether you lack peers in your community whom you can talk to, or you just want to hear what producers elsewhere are doing and learning, this meet-up series is for you.
Join us! Register below.
Who can join
Good Idea Shop Talks is for row crop and livestock producers who could be anywhere on their conservation journey – whether you are just “conservation curious” or you are already doing cover crops, prairie strips, no till, managed grazing, or other conservation practices.
The Shop Talks are intended for producers in the following states of the Mississippi River Basin: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. But we welcome producers from other states.
How it works
In each Shop Talk, a producer will kick off the conversation by “pitching” a question or challenge they have related to an in-field or edge-of-field conservation practice for the group to workshop. This producer is called the “pitcher.”
Then the group talks it out and problem solves together, with opportunities to share your own experience and soak up the lessons others have learned.
The focus is on conversation and learning together as peers – there are no formal presentations from “experts.” So come ready to be an active participant.
Register for the Summer 2025 Season
Dates: Thursdays, August 14th, 21st, and 28th, 2025.
Time: 11:30am CT / 12:30pm ET – Take your lunch break with us! You’re welcome to join from wherever you are – whether in the office or in the tractor.
Place: Zoom.
This link registers you for all of this season’s Shop Talks. You can come to all of them or just the ones that fit your schedule and interests.
*Each season is a set of 3 weekly meet-ups. The next season will take place in November/December 2025.
This Season’s Line-up
August 14th, 2025
Michigan farmer Clay Ottoni will pitch this question: What features do you like best on a no-till drill?
August 21st, 2025
TBD
August 28th, 2025
TBD
Interested in pitching a question to kick off one of the Shop Talks? Contact Jenny Seifert.
Questions? Contact Amanda Gumbert or Jenny Seifert.
Previous “Pitch” Examples
Wondering what sorts of questions farmers pitch at the Shop Talks? There’s a large variety! Here are a few examples from previous seasons. The bottom line is we welcome real questions farmers are facing about how to be successful with conservation practices.
- What mechanical cover crop termination strategies have you found to be successful, and have you noticed a difference between terminating during the day versus at night? – Ron Schoepp, Wisconsin farmer, Pre-plant 2025 season
- How can I quantify the impact cover crops are having on my farm separate from the other conservation practices we have implemented? – Darin Proffit, Iowa farmer, Winter 2025 season
- How can we extend the grazing season while keeping an eye toward conservation? – Ben Robin, Kentucky farmer, Summer 2024 season
- How can we convince hesitant landowners/farm managers to cooperate with operators to implement conservation practices? – Brian Corkill, Illinois farmer, Winter 2024 season