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Conference

2024 North Central Regional Soil Survey Conference

Event Date
June 24-27, 2024
Time
See Agenda (below)
Location
University of Wisconsin, Platteville, WI
Aerial of eroded farmland restored in southwest Wisconsin near the Mississippi River, south of La Crosse. Farms surrounded by clouds along the ridges of the rich Loess bluffs along the Mississippi River.

Join us for the 2024 North Central Regional Soil Survey Conference!

7
Jun
Deadline

Registration

Conference registration is closed.

$150 – Regular Registration

$30 – Student Registration

$50 – AGI Educators

By attending this conference, you agree to be photographed or video recorded, which may be used for NCSS and USDA publications, websites, and social media.

The 2024 North Central Regional Soil Survey Conference will be held at the University of Wisconsin in Platteville, Wisconsin, from June 24-27. The theme for the conference is “Digging into the Driftless – A Dynamic Vision for Resilient Soil Climate and Ecosystems.”

Call for Abstracts

North Central Call for Abstracts

Committees

North Central NCSS Committees

Map

The conference will be held in Doudna Hall (#11). P1 is the nearest parking. (No parking permit or fee is required for the summer semester.)

Lodging

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Platteville, an IHG Hotel
55 S. Elm Street
Platteville, WI 53818
(608) 342-2238
Block of rooms held until May 15 for $107/night and tax exempt 
Group: NCSS Regional Soil Conference

Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
630 S Water St, 
Platteville, WI 53818
(608) 348-7373
Block of rooms held until May 24 for $107/night and tax exempt 
Group: NCRSC Conference

Super 8 by Wyndham Platteville
100 Highway 80-81 South
Platteville, WI 53818 
(608) 348-8800
Block of rooms held until May 24 for $85/night and tax exempt 
Group: NRCS Soils

Co-Hosts

Jennifer Smith
State Soil Scientist
NRCS Wisconsin
(p) 608-662-4422 x 202
(e) jenniferl.smith@usda.gov

Dr. Chris Baxter
Professor of Soil and Crop Science
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
(e) baxterch@uwplatt.edu

Liaison

Skye Wills
National Leader, Soil Science Research
USDA-NRCS
(p) 402-437-5310
(e) skye.wills@usda.gov


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Check out the 2024 NCSS Awardees!


Agenda

Monday, June 24: Registration, Welcome, Keynote Speaker, and Posters at Doudna Hall, UW-Platteville

7:30 am
Host Prep
2:00 pm
Registration and Poster Set-Up
4:00 pm
Welcome

Dr. Tammy Evetovich, UW-P Chancellor;
Curtis Elke, NRCS Regional Conservationist;
Nathan Fikkert, WI NRCS State Conservationist;
Dr. David Lindbo, Director, NRCS-SPSD;
Neil Dominy, Director, National Soil Survey Center, NRCS

5:00 pm
Celebrating 125 Years of the NCSS

Jenn Mason, National Resource Soil Scientist for Training, NRCS-SPSD

5:20 pm
Keynote Speaker

The Driftless Area: the extent of unglaciated and similar terrains in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota
Dr. Eric Carson, Geologist, Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey & Professor, University Wisconsin – Madison

6:20 pm
Social Hour and Posters

Tuesday, June 25: Conference at Doudna Hall, UW-Platteville

7:00 am
Morning Networking Session

(Coffee and light breakfast provided)

8:00 am
Welcome

Dr. Chris Baxter, UW-Platteville; 
Jen Smith, SSS WI NRCS

8:20 am
NRCS National Updates

An Update on CNTSC Activities & Soil Interpretations for Conservation Planning
Richard Reid, Regional Resource Soil Scientist, Central National Technical Support Center, NRCS, Science and Technology Branch

Dynamic Soil Properties: Understanding Our Past and Informing Our Future
Francine Lheritier, Natural Resource Soil Scientist for Dynamic Soil Properties, NRCS-SPSD, Soil Services and Information

National Cooperative Soil Survey: Transitioning Progress Reporting from Acres to Milestones
Tiffany Allen, National Resource Soil Scientist for Federal Lands, NRCS-SPSD, Soil Program Management

9:20 am
Break
9:40 am
Cooperator and University Updates

(Open for lightening talks from universities, agencies, organizations, and other cooperators)

11:00 am
The Future of Soil Survey: A Dynamic Vision

Soil Survey 360
Bernie Skipper, Cartographer, MI NRCS

Next Generation Soil Interpretations with Dynamic Soils Hub
Andy Paolucci, Soil Scientist/Soil Data Modeler, Conservation Information Delivery, Soil Services and Information, NRCS-SPSD

Digital Soil Mapping in the North Central Region — Leading the Way
Betsy Schug, Soil Data Quality Specialist, North Central Soil Survey Region, NRCS-SPSD

12:00 pm
Lunch Buffet
1:00 pm
Soil Climate & Dynamic Systems

Efficacy of Texture Stratification with Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy to Predict Soil Organic Matter and Organic Carbon Across WI Soils
Garrett Klepitsch, Soil Scientist, Onalaska MLRA SSO, NRCS-SPSD

Dynamic Soil Properties in the National Forests of the Great Lakes States 
David Morley, Forest Soil Scientist, USFS, Superior NF

Wisconsin Ecological Site Description Collaboration UWSP and NRCS
Dr. Jacob Prater, Ph.D., Professor and Discipline Coordinator, Soil and Water Resources College of Natural Resources at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

2:00 pm
Break
2:20 pm
Urban Soils and Soil Surveys

Initial Mapping of the Urban Milwaukee City
Chris Miller, MLRA Office Leader, Juneau WI & Aurora IL, NRCS-SPSD

Aretesols
Bryant Scharenbroch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Soil Science, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

3:00 pm
Break and Assemble to Rooms
3:20 pm
Committee Meetings & Breakout Sessions
5:00 pm
Dinner (on your own)

Wednesday, June 26: Field Tour, Outside Doudna Hall (snacks, lunch, and dinner provided)

7:30 am
Assemble & load buses

(Meet outside Doudna Hall)

8:00 am
Field Stops

Stop 1: James “Ted” and Helen Kearns Property – Platte Mound

Stop 2: Knee Deep Road Historic Mine Site 

11:40 am
Lunch at University of Wisconsin – Platteville Pioneer Farms
1:20 pm
Field Stops

Stop 3: Loeffelholz Farm and Quarry

Stop 4: Vogt Farm – Mississippi River Terrace

5:00 pm
Dinner at The Original Potosi Saloon
7:20 pm
Travel back to campus

Thursday, June 27: Conference at Doudna Hall, UW-Platteville

7:00 am
Morning Networking Session

(Coffee and light breakfast provided)

8:00 am
Welcome & Logistics
8:20 am
Looking Forward: Soil Education

American Geosciences Institute and NRCS Partner for Soil Education
Lauren Brase, Education Specialist, American Geosciences Institute

9:20 am
Break
9:40 am
Committee Final Reports
11:40 am
Closing Remarks