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Land, Soil, Water and Climate Changes with Kip Kolesinskas

This event was rescheduled from April 3 to Tuesday, April 24.

With severe weather and climate change on the rise, the modern farmer and gardener run into many obstacles. This class will be geared towards methodology that can be used to combat climate changes and extreme weather. We will look at how to work with the land and the natural resources around you to benefit your crops and property. For example, Kip will go over how to use tools like row covers and high tunnels to work with mother nature during unpredictable seasons. He will also talk about the inevitable increase of crop disease and pests due to climate change and how this impacts the organic farmer/gardener. Feel free to bring a sample of soil with you from your growing plot to test for pH! This will be a very informative, hands-on, and interactive class.


About Kip Kolesinsksas
Kip serves as the Land Use and Conservation Specialist for UConn Extension’s  Solid Ground Farmer Training Program. He has worked with Connecticut’s farmers, landowners, state agencies, municipalities, and non-profits for the past 35 years. Working as a field soil scientist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Kip was responsible for completing the state-wide update and digital release of the Soil Survey of Connecticut. He has intimate knowledge of all the soil landscapes in Connecticut and their limitations and potential for agriculture and agricultural infrastructure. As a Resource Soil Scientist he worked with teams of conservationists, agronomists, ecologists, and engineers to develop conservation plans for farms and evaluate, design, and install conservation practices. With his 35 years of government experience he has extensive knowledge on how to navigate and apply for federal and state programs that can benefit farmers, as well as the regulatory issues such as inland wetlands and water quality. He managed the USDA NRCS Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and has worked extensively with state agencies, municipalities, and land trusts on farmland protection. Kip has been a major contributor to statewide efforts to increase farmer access to land, develop farm friendly municipalities, and promote locally grown and produced food. Kip speaks and teaches extensively statewide and nationally on soil quality, soils and land-use planning, wetlands, climate change adaptation strategies, farmland protection, and the rental and leasing of farmland.

Event will be held inside KNOX’s Greenhouse.

RSVP:
Chelsea Morrison
Farm & Grounds Manager
chelseam@knoxhartford.org
(860) 951-7694