The Natural Resources Conservation Service, along with Clarion River Organics, will host a soil health cover cropping field day targeting organic vegetable producers.

The event will feature Eero Ruutillo, who is R&D Station Farm Operations Manager for Jonny’s Select Seeds in Albion, Maine, and has more than 30 years of experience as an organic farmer.

Previously, Ruutillo was the farm director of the 40-acre certified organic nonprofit Nesenkeag Farm in southern New Hampshire. He was responsible for all field operations and sales including direct sales to 35 restaurant and wholesale distributors in the greater Boston area.

Recently he was a Sustainable Ag Beginning Farmer educator for the University of Connecticut Extension and Incubator Farm Coordinator for the Lowell, Mass.-based New Entry Sustainable Farmer Project.

Ruutillo will speak on the benefits of integrating covers into a vegetable operation and how they can improve soil health, reduce crop pathogens and smother annual and perennial weeds. He also will speak on seeding rates and equipment used for establishment.

The second half of the day will feature a tour of Clarion River Organics and a discussion on how it has begun integrating covers into the operation. Featured will be several hands-on stations meant to focus on the below-ground work of covers and how they improve soil, make nitrogen and reduce weed competition.

The field day will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 17 with a hot Amish lunch included in the registration for $10.

Reservations are due by Oct. 13 and can be made by contacting NRCS at 814-297-5271.

The farm is at 824 Whitmer Road, Sligo, Pa. 16255.

Andy Gaver is a conservationist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Butler County.