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Tuesday September 23rd The Eaton Conservation District and the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) will sponsor a free domestic drinking water well screening on Tuesday September 23rd from 1pm-4pm. Those that wish to have their well water screened for nitrates, free of charge, can bring water samples to the Eaton Conservation District Office. Samples from drinking water wells will be screened for nitrate and nitrite. The screening is open to everyone who uses a personal well for drinking water. Bring your samples to the Eaton Conservation District office located at 551 Courthouse Drive, Suite 3, in Charlotte on Tuesday, September 23rd between 1-4pm. This service is for private drinking water wells only. Public water supplies are tested regularly. Please do not bring samples from public water supplies or non-drinking water sources. Only drinking water well samples will be tested. You do not have to use a special bottle for this screening. Any small clean jar will work—one ounce of water is enough. Please follow the directions below to sample your well. Collect samples just before bringing them to the sample drop-off. Samples must be less than 48 hours old for a valid nitrate result. 1. Pick a tap that supplies water that has not run through any treatment devices (water softener, carbon filter, etc.). An outdoor faucet often works well. 2. Run the water for 20-30 minutes before collecting the sample. This will give the pump time to flush the water pressure tank and plumbing so you can collect a valid sample. Disconnect any hoses before collecting the sample; do not sample through a hose. Rinse the sample bottle and lid thoroughly in the water to be sampled; then fill and cap the bottle. 3. Label the bottle clearly with your name, the sampling date, and the well name (cottage well, Mom's well, etc.) using a waterproof pen. 4. Keep the sample dark and cold (on ice or refrigerated) until it is dropped off. All results are confidential. You will get your results onsite at the Conservation District as well as information on what to do should nitrite or nitrates show up in your drinking water. If you are pursuing MAEAP verification, bring your water samples in for screening. If no Nitrates are detected you may be exempt from having to pay for Nitrate sampling at the State Lab. Ask Jen for more details. For more information contact Jen Silveri at the Eaton Conservation District Office at 517-543-5848 ext 5 or jennifer.silveri@mi.nacdnet. 551 Courthouse Dr. Suite 3, Charlotte, MI. 
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Don’t farm naked, plant cover crops for soil health! Eaton Conservation District, Eaton County Farm Bureau and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation service will be sponsoring a fall field day on Friday, September 12, 2014. The event, hosted by The Country Mill and Upright Farms in Charlotte MI, will feature nationally renowned guest speaker, Dr. Hans Kok! Hans is an Indiana based agriculture consultant who contracts with the Indiana Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative. He uses an innovative approach to teach producers about the importance of managing soils much like they would livestock or crops to maximize long term sustainability and farm economics. In addition to Dr. Kok’s presentation, the Field Day will feature great demonstrations and discussions about improving soil health on the farm, integrated weed management tips to get more bang for your pesticide costs, and an update on the new Farm Bill. RUP credits will be available for certified pesticide applicators who attend and MAEAP phase 1 credit is available for all participants. Local businesses have donated prizes for the event, including cover crop seed from the Eaton Farm Bureau Co-op. Registration is $10 and covers lunch and materials. Farm Bureau members will receive a reduced rate at $5. Those interested in participating in the tour should contact the Eaton Conservation District (517) 543-5848 ext. 5 no later than September 9th to register. Drones Added to Don’t Farm Naked Field Day! An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs or drones) demonstration has been added to the Don’t Farm Naked Field Day on September 12th. Bruno Basso, associate professor at MSU, will be joining the agricultural field day to demonstrate his work using UAVs to model water and nutrient cycling in relation to agro-ecosystems. Basso is working to develop SALUS, a next-generation process-based model that integrates crop productivity with water, carbon, and nutrient fluxes in a spatially explicit manner. Friday September 12th 9am-4pm The Country Mill and Upright Farms 4648 Otto Road Charlotte, MI 48813 Field Day Topics
Win Free Prizes and Cover Crop seed!  |
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