Pennington County Conservation Conference: Grasslands to Gardens
The Pennington County Conservation District board hosted the Grasslands to Gardens Conference on Sept. 25, 2024 in Rapid CIty, with a focus to foster relationships between urban agriculture and traditional rural agriculture.
Pennington County Conservation District (PPCD) board hosted the Grasslands to Gardens Conference on Sept. 25, 2024 at the Ramkota in Rapid City with a focus to foster relationships between urban agriculture and traditional rural agriculture. Roy Thompson spoke on how his health was affected by his diet and how changes in his diet carried over to how he farms and ranches. Healthy plants and soil lead to healthy people.
A variety of breakout sessions were offered on urban ag and rural ag including NRCS Urban Ag programs, large scale composting, no-till gardening, tillage vs no-till in farming, use of livestock on grasslands, forestry and trees used in ag. Many sessions highlighted the importance of soil health no matter the size of the operation.
SDSPA’s members Michelle and Rick Grosek from Bear Butte Gardens hosted a session on how to do a Farm to Table meal, working with the Farm to School project, and how they market and distribute their produce. They gave highlights of their various Farm to Table nights and gave some tips about working with chefs. The session was well attended by typically urban ag producers as well as several rural producers.
PCCD board member Shawn Freeland concluded the conference by asking attendees if the conference was a success. Attendees unanimously agreed it was and Shawn announced to expect the conference annually.