By Scout Nelson
North Dakota State University’s Dickinson Research Extension Center (DREC) will host the 2026 Soil Health Workshop on Thursday, September 10, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. MDT in Dickinson, North Dakota. The event will focus on "The Value of Legumes and Livestock Grazing on Soil Health" and provide farmers, ranchers, crop advisers, and agricultural professionals with practical information for improving soil health and increasing farm productivity.
The morning session will take place at the DSU Ag Building Auditorium, 400 State Ave, Dickinson. The program begins with welcome remarks from Douglas Landblom, Beef Cattle & Integrated Systems Specialist at DREC. Educational presentations will cover several important topics related to legumes, cover crops, and nitrogen management.
Marisol Berti, Professor in the NDSU Plant Sciences Department, will explain the nitrogen cycle and the importance of legumes in agriculture. Alexis Correira, DREC Cover Crop Specialist, will discuss the value of growing cover crops and including legumes in cover crop mixtures.
Larry Cihacek, Soil Scientist in the NDSU Natural Resource Sciences Department, will present how legumes and livestock grazing can reduce nitrogen fertilizer needs in crop rotations. Danielle Harper, Associate Professor of Agriculture at Dickinson State University, will explain how forage legumes improve soil health. Lunch will be provided by the Bravera Bank Grill Team.
The afternoon field session will be held at DREC Section 19. Participants will hear James Rogers, Agronomist at North Central REC in Minot, discuss alfalfa nodulation, rooting depth, and nitrogen benefits for future crops.
Alexis Correira will return to explain cover crop root systems, while Trey Fischbach, Agronomist with Helena Agri-Enterprises, will present strategies for using fall-seeded legume mixes to improve profitability and reduce nitrogen inputs.
Kirshna Katwal, DREC Research Agronomist, will discuss growing lentils as a nitrogen-fixing crop in diverse rotations. The workshop concludes with a Soil Rain Simulator demonstration presented by the Stark/Billings County Soil Conservation District, showing how healthy soils improve water movement and reduce erosion.
The workshop offers valuable research-based information for producers interested in improving soil health, reducing fertilizer costs, and building more sustainable farming systems. Those needing accommodations should contact Doug Landblom at 701-456-1109 or doug.landblom@ndsu.edu at least two weeks before the event.
Photo Credit: north-dakota-state-university
Categories: North Dakota, Crops