04/24/2026
The âSoil Health: Nutrient Managementâ event was hosted at the Marxen family farm by the Marxenâs and Renville County Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) on April 10, 2026. The event started with a presentation by Alec Marxen, who spoke about soil health and how he has seen his familyâs farm improve, including better soil structure and increased wildlife on the property since they implemented more soil health practices. Marxen was then followed by Joe Ailts, an independent Agronomist of Ailts Agronomy. Ailts shared his insight on nutrient management and cover crop systems. He focused heavily on building soil organic matter to drive profitability. He then presented cover crop forage analysis data from the Marxenâs farm from 2025. This data showed how much you can increase soil nutrient levels by implementing soil health practices such as cover crops and no-till. Ailts was then followed by Kent Klingbeil, who is an independent Agronomist with 2K Ag LLC in. Klingbeilâs presentation focused on building profitable fertility systems through measurement and nutrient efficiency. He focused on helping growers transition to managing a complete, data-driven fertility system based on efficiency and return on investment (ROI). Klingbeil was then followed up by a drone demo from Harvest Drone. Harvest Drone and they are a certified dealer for Hylio Ag Drones and NuWay Ag Drone Trailers. They also do custom aerial spraying of pesticides, fertilizer, as well as seeding cover crops, forage, and other conservation acres. They conducted a 20-acre demonstration with their two-drone swarm, which was flown autonomously from a single controller along a predetermined flight path for maximum efficiency and safety. The Renville SWCD is appreciative of the Marxenâs for hosting such a great event!
