2022 Southern Regional Cooperative Soil Survey Conference coming in June

The 2022 Southern Regional Cooperative Soil Survey Conference is slated for June 6-9 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Hosted by Clemson University and the South Carolina Natural Resources Conservation Service and titled “Humanity’s Influence as Seen Through a Soil Lens,” the conference will be held at the Clemson One building in downtown Greenville. The conference will give urban farmers, soil survey specialists, soil scientists and local and regional planners the opportunity to network, learn about regional soil work and identify needs and challenges regarding Southern soils.

Attendees will learn about the new proposed soil order Artesol, new technologies to evaluate heavy metals in urban soils, and how to incorporate erosion and water loss risks into urban planning. Presentations will be given by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, universities and other stakeholders.

The conference starts at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 6 with a welcome and a poster session to highlight current soil research in the southern region. Anna Paltseva from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will give the keynote presentation, Urban Soils and Human Health.

Tuesday activities include a tour of Greenbrier Farms to showcase soil management strategies that build healthy soils, a farm-to-table lunch, presentations and breakout sessions. The conference concludes at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 9 with an urban farm tour of Mill Village Farms, hands-on description and interpretation of an onsite soil profile, and a demonstration of rapid and portable instrumentation for elements including heavy metals.

General registration fee is $160 through May 18 and $225 thereafter. Student registration is $80; a *.edu email address is required. Payments will be accepted via the Clemson University Marketplace website: https://bit.ly/SoilSurveyConference.

A block of rooms is available at the conference hotel, SpringHill Suites Greenville Downtown, for $159 per night. Indicate “Clemson Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences Room Block” when reserving rooms.

For information, navigate to the conference webpage, or contact Clemson professor Dara Park at (843) 319-2957, or state soil scientist Kristine Ryan at (803) 253-3896 or kristine.ryan@usda.gov.

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