25Mar/19

Soil Health Not Just a Trending Topic

March 25, 2019Soil Healthagregates, agriculture, crops, erosion, farmers, farming, soil health, soil organic matter, soil tilth, soilsLeslie Johnson

Many of us take the soil we stand on for granted, including myself. I mean, it’s everywhere – especially on my carpet with 2 boys in my house. However, without soil, we can’t grow crops. Farmers know that soil is a critical part of farming, and making sure that soil can continue to grow crops for many years to come is at the forefront of every farmer’s mind – sometimes without even realizing it.

28Feb/19

Soil Health Nexus debuts new soil health resource

February 28, 2019Manure, Soil Healthon-farm research, toolboxAnne Nardi

The Soil Health Nexus team is making it easier than ever to access valuable soil health information through their newly released Soil Health Toolbox. To date, the team has released resources on conducting on-farm-research that incorporates soil health, and is working on resources on 1) how soil health impacts water quality and flow through the landscape, and 2) understanding and measuring soil’s physical, chemical and biological properties.

01Feb/19

Soil Health Events Coming Soon!

February 1, 2019Soil Healthagriculture, cover crops, crops, farmers, farming, nebraska, organic matter, science, soil, soil amendments, soil health, soil organic matter, soil tilth, soils, state of the scienceLeslie Johnson

Soil health conferences in South Dakota and Nebraska will take place on February 14, 2019.

04Jan/19

Getting to the Science of Soil Health: USDA Releases Standard Indicators and Laboratory Procedures to Assess Soil Health

January 4, 2019ManureARS, indicators, NRCS, soil health indicators, soil health measurements, standard methods, state of the science, USDA NRCS, webinarPaul Gross

The enthusiasm for the soil health principles in some cases has gotten ahead of the science behind them. To address this, NRCS and the Agricultural Research Services (ARS) lead a diverse group of technical experts in selecting methods to assess six standard soil health indicators, which focus on key physical and biological process that must function well in healthy soils. The document titled “Recommended Soil Health Indicators and Associated Laboratory Procedures”, Technical Note No. 450 (PDF) was developed by a group of experts and provides information getting us closer to understanding the science behind soil health and how it is best measured.

15Nov/18

Time to Assess and Take Stock of Your Soil Health

November 15, 2018Soil Healthagregates, conferences, cover crops, discussions, farmers, farming, science, soilMahdi Al-Kaisi

As the season approaches its conclusion and harvest conditions are most challenging, there are a few things worth remembering to protect and sustain soil health. Consider attending the 2019 Soil Health Conference held on February 4-5.

01Nov/18

Building Soil Organic Matter Takes Time

November 1, 2018Manure, Soil Healthbuilding organic matter, organic matterTodd Whitney

Our “instant” culture gravitates to testimonials about how to rapidly increase soil organic matter by 1% within 1 to 3 years. Conversations with lenders and landlords regarding rewards on manure applications and multi-species cover crops investments would likely be easier if financial rewards or measured soil physical properties came quickly.

28Sep/18

Maintaining soil fertility is important for soil health

September 28, 2018Manureagriculture, crops, farming, fertility, nutrients, phosphorus, research, soil, soil amendments, soil health, soils, soybeans, state of the scienceFrancisco Arriaga

Maintaining soil fertility is important not only for profitable crop production, but also soil health. In a long-term P and K fertility trial, we can see that there is much greater residue cover in plots that have received adequate potash applications over time compared to where no K was applied. Application of P had minimal to no effect on residue cover.

02Sep/18

Stan Boltz demonstrating infiltration with jars of soil

Demonstrations Teach Soil Health Comparisons

September 2, 2018Soil Healthaggregates, demonstrations, erosion, extension, infiltration, runoff, soil aggregates, soil health demonstrations, soil health tools, tools, water quality, wind erosionLeslie Johnson

Have you ever wondered how to demonstrate differences in the health of soils? At a recent meeting of the Soil Health Nexus team, Stan Boltz of the South Dakota Natural Resources Conservation Service shared tips and tricks he uses when demonstrating soil health principles to producers and other farm advisors.

01Aug/18

A saline-sodic headland along state Highway 5 East roadside ditch in Cavalier County, N.D.

Perennial Salt-Tolerant Covers for Saline-Sodic Headlands in NE North Dakota

August 1, 2018Soil Healthagriculture, cover crops, crops, saline soils, sodic soils, soil, soils, waterNaeem Kalwar

Wet weather results in shallow groundwater depths and saturated soils, whereas, dry weather results in lower groundwater depths. Establishing a vegetative cover is the key to utilize excessive soil moisture, intercepting salt-carrying water before it will affect productive areas, reducing evaporation from the soil surface, adding organic material and increasing microbial activity. With time, these headlands might be planted with crops like wheat, canola and corn and soybean again.

02Jul/18

Soil Health Parameters and Water Quality

July 2, 2018Soil Healthagriculture, soil health, soil health webinar, soil test, soil testing, water, water quality, webinarLeslie Johnson

As measuring soil health becomes more of a common practice, there are a variety of factors to consider based on location, soil type, and cropping system. So, which tests makes sense for you? To help address this question, Francisco Arriaga and Donna Brandt of the Soil Health Nexus team presented on Soil Health Parameters and Water Quality for the North Central Region Water Network’s The Current Webinar Series.