The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) Soil Health Program is excited to announce the 2nd Biannual Soil Health in the West Conference being held in St. George, UT at the Dixie Convention Center on February 6-8, 2024.

“The importance of maintaining healthy soils is not a strange concept to Utah’s farmers and
ranchers. UDAF’s Soil Health Program has been working to expand these efforts since its
creation in 2021.” said Craig Buttars, UDAF Commissioner. “The Soil Health in the West
Conference is a great way to share information about soil health practices and resources with
producers in Utah and throughout the Western United States.”

The Soil Health in the West Conference brings together world experts and regional soil health practitioners under one roof for a multi-day learning and networking opportunity unlike any other in the Western United States. Partnering with the Utah Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), UDAF puts on this conference to educate farmers and ranchers and inspire them to better understand the key role soil plays in the success of our agriculture systems.

“Research is showing that by implementing the six soil health principles using practices such as
no-till and cover crops we can make farms resilient to weather extremes like drought and flood
while increasing profitability through reduction in input costs.” said Tony Richards UDAF Soil
Health Program Manager. “Healthy soils capture and store more water, better cycle nutrients,
and are protected against erosion.”

This year’s conference will bring 29 different speakers covering topics from livestock grazing and soil health to soil health and its impact on water availability.

Keynote Speakers:

• Alejandro Carrillo – is a fourth-generation rancher in the Chihuahuan desert. Rarely does his precipitation go beyond 9” per year (< 230mm). Every drop counts to grow more and better grasses and forbs. He is not willing to waste any water in such a brittle environment if he wants to graze year-round without inputs.
• Joel Saltin – is a farmer, author, speaker, and mentor who is as comfortable moving cows in a pasture as he is addressing CEOs in a Wall Street business conference. He co-owns Polyface Farm with his family in Swoope, Virginia. He has written over a dozen books, serves as the editor of The Stockton Grass Farmer, and co-hosts the Beyond Labels foodscape research podcast. When he’s not on the road speaking, Joel is at home on the farm, keeping the calluses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems.

Other speakers include farmers and ranchers from around the region including Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. For more information and to register for the conference, visit utahsoilhealth.org/events/2024-conference.

More on Soil Health:

In Utah’s desert environment implementing soil principles such as keeping the soil covered has shown a decrease in soil temperatures as much as 40°F reducing water loss from evaporation in some cases to zero. Managing a farm for soil health can increase the organic matter content of the soil by sequestering carbon; each 1% increase in soil organic matter increases the soil water holding capacity by 16,000 to 24,000 gallons per acre.

Six Principles of Soil Health:

1. Know Your Context
2. Minimize Disturbance
3. Keep the Soil Covered
4. Maximize Biodiversity
5. Keep a Living Root
6. Integrate Livestock

Five wolves were reintroduced in Colorado earlier this week. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, along with The Division of Wildlife Resources and U.S fish & Wildlife, will be working together to develop plans in case the wolves cross over into Utah. It’s important to note that wolves that cross into Utah cannot be killed and are listed as endangered species nationwide. In the event of a wolf preying on livestock, the protocol is to contact one of UDAF’s trappers who will locate, capture, and relocate the wolf back to Colorado.

Watch the video below to learn more:

Officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) have reinstated the permit to sell raw cow’s milk to Utah Natural Meat and Milk (dairy) located in West Jordan, Utah. The dairy’s Raw for Retail permit was suspended in September 2023 after Campylobacter bacteria found in their milk samples was linked to 14 illnesses.

“Food and consumer safety are our priorities at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food,” said UDAF Commissioner of Agriculture, Craig Buttars. “While we did not take suspending the license of this small farm and business lightly, it was important that we ensure the milk products were safe for consumption. We are grateful for the efforts by the UDAF team as well as the dairy owners to isolate the cause of the illnesses and to ensure the milk is safe to be sold once again.”

Per state statute: 4-3-503 (12)(b), the dairy was required to have three clean tests following the outbreak for their permit to be reinstated. The dairy owners took appropriate actions and worked with UDAF inspectors to make improvements and ultimately get the three clean tests required.

All Raw for Retail Milk and milk products produced in Utah are subject to monthly sampling and testing by the state. Nevertheless, raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe. Individuals who choose to consume raw milk or raw milk products are advised to observe the following to help decrease the chance of foodborne illness:

• Heat raw milk to 165° F for at least 15 seconds (and then cool it) before consuming.
• Keep raw milk and raw milk products refrigerated at or below 40° F; do not let raw milk sit out at room temperature.

In celebration of Harvest Gratitude Day on November 16, Utah Farm to Fork and the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) hosted an online learning event for middle and high school students to learn about the importance of agriculture and where their food comes from.

During this event, over 1,000 students heard from Utah’s farmers, ranchers, and producers and even got a virtual tour of their operations. Featuring:

• Commissioner Craig Buttars, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
• Mike Mower, Senior Advisory on Community Outreach, Utah Governor’s Office
• Brittney Cummins, Senior Advisor for Education, Utah Governor’s Office
• Kent Pyne, Pyne Farms (Santaquin, UT)
• Matt Hess, Hess Dairy Farm (Garland, UT)
• Ron and Anita Murphy, R&A Hydroponics (West Jordan, UT)

Thank you to everyone who tuned in and participated. Events like these remind us how lucky we are to support Utah Agriculture and honor the hard-working farmers and ranchers who put food on our tables.

Watch the full recorded presentation, by clicking here.

With our newest animated video, we’re going on an adventure to learn more about the exciting process from Seed to Table with your favorite UDAF’s Animated Host, Farmer Mike.

To watch all of our animated episodes, click here.