*This article was originally published by Minnesota Crop News on March 24, 2020 and shared here with permission. One benefit of increasing soil organic matter is to store more water in your soil. Why does thisRead More…
A meta-analysis of current cover crop research was done by researchers at the University of Illinois. They found that microbial abundance was up 27%, activity was up 22%, and diversity increased 2.5% when using cover cropsRead More…
Story by Fernanda Souza Krupek – Agronomy Graduate Research Assistant, Andrea Basche – Assistant Professor in Cropping Systems, Daren Redfearn – Extension Forage Crop Residue Specialist, and Laura Thompson – Extension Educator. This story was orginallyRead More…
Soil physical properties, including soil texture and soil structure, have a tremendous influence on its ability to function as a living productive ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. The Soil Health Nexus has added a new “Drawer” in their Soil Health Toolbox titled, Soil Physical Properties.
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A number of states within the Midwest Cover Crop Council have developed cover crop recipes. These publications are intended to provide a starting point for farmers who are new to growing cover crops. With experience, farmers may fine-tune the use of cover crops for their systems. Additional states will be coming soon.
Read More...A 20-year study by Iowa State University researchers shows fertilizing cropland with poultry manure can benefit soil health and farm profits when compared to a commercial fertilizer. The study looked at long-term impacts of poultry manure on soil quality, crop yield, production costs and water quality in conventional Iowa cropping systems.
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Soil health tests often include a variety of new and diverse soil measurements. They can help you understand whether you have the microbial activity to supply nutrients to plants or whether your soil structure is sufficient to allow air and water to flow.
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Dr. Alexandra Kravchenko, Michigan State University professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences along with several of her colleagues discovered a new mechanism determining how carbon is stored in soils. A recent article in ScienceDaily drew attention her research findings published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
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The Soil Health Nexus team recently released a series of how-to videos explaining how to host soil health demonstrations and in-field assessments to help producers learn how to assess soil health on their operations. Videos range in topic…
Read More...The purpose of this article is to explain how manure application can help improve your soil health and productivity. It is easier to understand soils when we split their characteristics into their chemical, physical, and biological properties. However, these property classes are part of a whole system and are all important.
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