The North Central Region Soil Health Nexus is a university-led team dedicated to increasing access to research-based soil health knowledge, extension and resources.

The team was created in 2015 with funding from the North Central Region Water Network.  The team is structured around research, extension and outreach, and resources and communications with representatives from all 12 North Central Region states.

Soil Health Digital Café Series

The Soil Health Nexus is hosting a series of informal soil health webinars featuring Extension soil health experts and researchers from across the region discussing the latest soil health research, resources, and news. The webinars will take place monthly; they will be an hour in length with 20-minute presentation, followed by 10-minutes of Q&A and then a casual 30-minute Digital Café where attendees can continue to discuss the topic in more depth with Soil Health Nexus members.

Upcoming Webinar:

Is Urban Gardening Hazardous to Your Health?
Wednesday, March 19th at 2pm CT

Dr. Anna Paltseva is an international urban soil scientist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Departments of Agronomy and Horticulture & Landscape Architecture at Purdue University. Dr. Anna Paltseva’s presentation will explore the hidden risks of soil contamination in urban environments, focusing on heavy metal pollution, its sources, and its impact on human health and urban agriculture. She will discuss practical remediation strategies, innovative soil testing methods, and community-driven approaches to improving urban soil quality and sustainability.

Register

Upcoming Regional Trainings

Save the Date for the next regional ag educator training. This training will be hosted by Iowa State University Outreach and Extension in partnership with the Soil Health Nexus and will focus on the belowground benefits of livestock on the land.

More information is forthcoming!