Category Archives: Manure

20Sep/23

Detangling Fact from Fiction: The Impact of Manure on Soil Health in the Semi-Arid West

In this edition of the Digital Café series, we hear from Dr. Linda Schott, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Nutrient and Waste Management at the University of Idaho. Dr. Schott shares data from several projects about the impact of manure/compost on soil health properties including POxC, infiltration, aggregate stability, etc. This presentation was originally broadcast on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

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16Mar/22

Long-term Effect of Cover Crops on Soil Health and Crop Yield

As part of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Cafe Series, Dr. Inderjot Chahal with the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Guelph, presents “Long-term Effect of Cover Crops on Soil Health and Crop Yield”. This presentation was originally broadcast on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.

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22Nov/21

Can We Quantify Soil Biological Activity Without a Lab?

As part of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Cafe Series, Dr. Amy Schmidt and Karla Melgar from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln present “Can We Quantify Soil Biological Activity Without a Lab?”. This presentation was originally broadcast on November 17, 2021.

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24Mar/21

Evaluating soil health and soil carbon dynamics in Midwestern cropping systems

As part of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Cafe Series, Brian Dougherty of Iowa State University, presents “Evaluating soil health and soil carbon dynamics in Midwestern cropping systems”. This presentation was originally broadcast on March 24, 2021.

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24Jun/20

Interactive Map-Based Learning Experiences for Manure and Soil Health

As part of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Cafe Series, Rick Koelsch and Leslie Johnson with Nebraska Extension, presents “Interactive Map-Based Learning Experiences for Manure and Soil Health”. This presentation was originally broadcast on June 24,Read More…

16Nov/19

Poultry manure improves profits, soil health

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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25Jun/19

How can animal manure help my soils be healthier and more productive?

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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28Feb/19
Dry crusted soil

Soil Health Nexus debuts new soil health resource

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.

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04Jan/19

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

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.

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