Tour of Merced County farms to highlight benefits of conservation farming
Merced County residents will have the opportunity to see firsthand the impact of conservation farming at the the third annual strip-till dairy coach tour.
The tour to four Merced County dairies will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday. Those interested in going must RSVP by Monday to secure a seat on the bus.
The tour will depart from the Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center, 9001 Lander Ave., and make stops at Wickstrom Dairy and Ahlem Farms in Hilmar. It will also make a stop at Barosso Dairy in Merced.
Sponsored by California Ag Solutions and Sustainable Conservation, the tour will focus on on farms that have made changes to their tillage systems – the preparation of land for growing crops – as well as the upgrades made to their nutrient and irrigation management.
During the tour, people will have the opportunity to examine equipment and compare cornfields produced with conventional practices versus “strip-till” farming, organizers said in a news release.
The tour will conclude with a complementary lunch and panel discussion at the Hilmar Cheese Visitor Center.
To reserve a spot, people can call Sustainable Conservation at (209) 604-6554 or California Ag Solutions at (559) 674-3276.
This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Tour of Merced County farms to highlight benefits of conservation farming."