Registration opens for Michigan Perennial Farm Ecosystem conference

The second annual Perennial Farm Ecosystem Conference hosted by northern Michigan’s Leelanau Conservation District plans to educate growers about a systems approach to growing perennial crops.

At the Sept. 8 conference in Suttons Bay, Michigan, experts are scheduled to discuss the importance of integrating native beneficial habitat for pollinators and soil invertebrates, how to improve soil health and its benefits, the impact of alley vegetation management, and the value of sap analysis for nutrient balance.

“Program Narrative: To provide a valuable and educational session that gets tree fruit and vineyard growers thinking about alternatives to conventional growing practices and how implementing alternative practices could benefit their bottom-line and the environment,” organizers said in a news release.

The conference’s target audience is commercial fruit producers of apples and sweet and tart cherries and vineyard managers, industry professionals, conservation district employees, conservationists, ag consultants, backyard and hobby growers. Michigan State University Extension staff, research staff from the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center and others.

Topics to be covered include:

• Groundwater Protection
• Living Orchards: Integrating habitat for soil invertebrates, beneficial insects, pollinators and other wildlife with tree crops.
• Soil Health in Perennial Systems and cover cropping in Vineyards
• Alley Vegetation Management Affects Orchard Productivity and Ecosystem Health
• How plant sap analysis can benefit your nutrient management plan

The event is scheduled for the Community Meeting Room at the Leelanau Government Center Building in Suttons Bay. Suttons Bay is north of Traverse City along Lake Michigan in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Register for the conference here.