CCSI invests in virtual field days

INDIANAPOLIS — Although it has been difficult, the Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative decided to invest in technology to make sure that Hoosier farmers can still learn about soil health and how to improve it.

Lisa Holscher, who serves as the director for CCSI, said it has been hard to hold field days in person — in fact, they have barely held any this year.

Holscher said they switched to the virtual platform, but were having bandwidth issues.

“A PowerPoint is boring in person, but virtually it is just dreadful,” Holscher said.

The CCSI director said they decided to buy a whole slew of equipment that would allow them to offer more engaging and informative field days by shipping equipment to farmers, who could then record what they were doing on their property.

Holscher said they bought cameras, tripods, Bluetooth headsets, speakers and much more so they could hold quality virtual field days that those in attendance could take away something new that they learned.

She said all the innovative equipment allowed them to start building on their ability to produce a quality field day, even if it was done virtually.

Holscher said she and the employees in her office ship equipment to farmers who are using good conservation practices and they record their practices remotely once they talked over the practices and let everyone know what was going on.

“This is not where we want to be, but things we take away from this experience will last,” Holscher said, adding that the field days cover everything from the use of cover crops to diagnostics on a field.

For more information on the virtual field days, visit www.ccsin.org/contact.