Soil Life Conference 2023

Nemesnádudvar | House of Culture
Monday, 16 January 2023
rendezveny@tmg.hu
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT!

Soil Life Conference 2023

Focus on soil health and regenerative agriculture

The aim of the conference is to provide a space for domestic regenerative farmers to meet, exchange experiences, network and meet each other, as well as those who are just winking in this direction. The Soil Regeneration Farmers Association, which is organising the event, has been working for years as a civil society organisation on how farmers can contribute to leaving a legacy of living soil. By sharing their valuable practical experience, they are helping to make this type of farming as widespread as possible.     

will be with us NO-Tiller

Ukrainian Mykhaylo Draganchuk has been farming no-till on 1400 hectares in Crimea since 2006. Founder of the No-Tiller youtube channel, which is the most popular blog on the subject. He is also the founder and initiator of one of the largest no-till conferences in Europe.

The first no-till book in English

In March, Mykhaylo Draganchuk's book No-Till for Beginners will be published in Hungarian. It will be useful for those who want to switch to the no-till system. It is a concise, technical book without pictures. If you want to get it, you should subscribe!

Exhibitors in the courtyard

We think it's important not just to talk about things, but to show what's possible in reality. That's why we exhibit direct sowing machines and other tools of minimal cultivation. Also on display will be liquid and solid versions of microbiological inoculants, as well as cover crop mixes.

Consultation as a VIP lodge

The most personalised part of the conference is where anyone can ask questions, which will be answered by experienced regenerative farmers. We can accommodate a total of 20 participants in the VIP box due to space limitations.

Programme

Monday, 16 January 2023

9:00 - 9:20

Opening by the President

Attila Szabó, President of the Soil Renewal Farmers' Association, will give a short speech, summarize the past of the organization, talk about the present and the future.

09:20 - 10:20

round table discussion

Pioneers of soil renewal in Hungary

A decade and a half of experience in domestic regenerative farming with a farmer's eye. Challenges and successes, feelings and production data, knowledge and experience. Five farmers, five landscapes, five soils.  

presenter: Víg Vitália 

fellow panellists: Ferenc Berend, Reto Stocker, Zoltán Szabó, Attila Szeredi, Péter Tamási 

10:20 - 10:30

break

10:30 - 12:00

presentation

My road to no-kill

Ukrainian Mykhaylo Draganchuk has been farming in Crimea for more than thirty years, without disturbing the soil for a decade and a half. With more than 40,000 followers, he is the owner of one of the most visited YouTube channels on the subject. He talks about what gave him the initial impetus to start a completely new farming practice, how he took his first steps and the challenges he faced. He will also share his impressions from his tour of Hungary and how his forthcoming book in Hungarian offers solutions that can be used by those who choose to engage in regenerative agriculture. 

Rapporteur: Mykhaylo Draganchuk, aka No-tiller

12:00 - 12:30

presentation

Why did wheat and maize fail to be grown without ploughing 40 years ago? 

In the early 1980s, there were more and more opportunities for agricultural professionals to study US agriculture. Dr. Bálint Nagy, then head of the Plant Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, saw the potential of no-till in Hungary based on his experiences abroad. He was thinking primarily of controlling soil erosion caused by spring rains. He asked the Hungarian representative of the ICI to set up experiments for wheat and maize cultivation with direct seeding at the Alkotmány MGTSZ in Bajna. The Bettinson disc direct seeder required for this was imported by ICI. The results of three years have clearly demonstrated that this technology makes it possible to avoid soil erosion, and yields have been around 10 tonnes. Why this successful technology did not take off will be discussed by the person responsible for the research at the time.

Rapporteur: Dr. József Tarjányi, retired agricultural engineer

12:30 - 14:30

lunch break

Sandwich sandwiches, scones, hornbread, coffee, tea. Or you can chat with anyone here, see the exhibitors in the courtyard, to build a relationship.

14:30 - 15.45

round table discussion

Professional help, support, but where from? - Guidelines for regenerative farming.

The roundtable discussion will be based on the analysis of the International Commission on Regenerative Agriculture of the European Academy of Sciences. The EASAC study will be used as a starting point for a discussion on the support farmers can expect from different areas (legislative, scientific, economic, educational).

presenter: Víg Vitália

invited panellists: Orsolya Valkó, Borbála Biró, a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Agroecology, MATE, and national expert of the European Union's Soil Health and Food Panel, Csilla Óvári - Head of Department and Senior Expert at the Institute of Agricultural Economics Zsombor Diriczi – Managing Director of Demeter Biosystems Ltd, TMG Board Member, Attila Kökény - a the main advocate and promoter of soil regeneration agriculture in Hungary, and currently head of Nesté's LENS programme, Antal Berente - Vice President of the TMG Association, Head of the Association's Education Committee

14.30 - 16.30

VIP box

For the truly determined. The part of the event where anyone can ask questions. Participation is by special registration, with a maximum of 20 people. The club afternoon starts at the same time as the roundtable discussion in the small hall.

on the podium: Mykhaylo Draganchuk, aka the No-Tiller, Ferenc Berend, Pierre-Yves Van Der Eecken

moderator: Krisztián Csizmás

REGISTRATIONS To the vip lodge

The event will be recorded on video, audio and video, which will be edited and published later. 

The director reserves the right to change the programme.

 

Not just for beginners...

THE FIRST NO-TILL BOOK IN HUNGARIAN

In March, Mykhaylo Draganchuk's book No-Till for Beginners will be published in Hungarian. It will be useful for those who want to switch to no-till or have been trying for a while but have many questions. It's a concise, technical document without pictures.

Although Gabe Brown's book, Life from Dust, is already available here, it is more of an insight into regenerative agriculture, with the author sharing his own experiences to give a theoretical background.

Mykhaylo Draganchuk, the Ukrainian farmer, has brought a completely different tone to the table: on 150 pages he is very concise and succinct, so it is safe to say that this is the first professional book on the subject in Hungarian, and it is also the first to be published with Hungarian aspects.

It is expected to be out of print in March, thanks to the Soil Restoration Farmers Association, who have led the translation, undertaken the peer review and funded the whole project.

To purchase the book, click on the button.

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