Annual Soil Health Workshop with Lance Gunderson

Get the dirt on soil testing! Come learn from soil health experts, join in a farmer panel discussion, and network with others while enjoying a locally sourced lunch.

This workshop will feature keynote speaker Lance Gunderson, founding member and president of Regen Ag Lab in Nebraska. As a leader in agricultural testing and analysis, Lance will share cutting-edge insights on soil health diagnostics to help you maximize your farm’s potential. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the best in the industry!

Hosted in partnership by area producer-led watershed protection groups, including the Sauk Soil & Water Improvement Group, the Producers of Lake Redstone, the Lake Wisconsin Farmer Watershed Council, and the Farmers of the Lemonweir Valley.

Keynote speaker Lance Gunderson is a well-known promoter of soil health testing. Lance carries his passion for soil health testing into Regen Ag Lab. Lance is excited to continue to establish and promote newly developed agronomic tests designed to aid producers managing their operations under the regenerative ag model. Lance Gunderson founded Regen Ag Lab in 2019 after spending 17 years leading the soil health testing division as the Director of Soil Health and New Test Development at another lab. Regen Ag Lab offers Haney and PLFA tests, as well as soil enzymes, water stable aggregates, water holding capacity, TOC, along with more conventional soil, plant tissue and water analyses. Lance is a renowned expert on the Haney Test and PLFA test (fungal and bacterial test). His experience at reviewing over 100,000 soil health samples gives him unique insight into how soil health results relate to management in regenerative agriculture systems. In 2018, Lance also founded Soil Health Innovations, which offers the SR-1 instrument for measuring soil respiration and consulting services surrounding the Haney Test developed by Dr. Rick Haney.

Chris Bandura, Statewide Conservation Cropping Outreach Specialist for UW-Madison, will present on: how to test, interpret, and use soil test results on your farm. Jamie Patton, the Wisconsin State Soil Health Coordinator for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, will present on all things soil biology: how to measure soil biology, interpret and use test results, and why soil biology matters. Discovery Farms will also present on their findings from their edge-of-field monitoring in the Lake Redstone watershed.

 We will also have an opportunity to learn more about some of the local area producer-led watershed protection groups and the programs they offer to help implement practices that will improve soil health and function on your farm.