For 2020, Underground Innovations will be shifting to a virtual format held over the course of three dates. Three half-day sessions will be held through the winter featuring a great lineup of speakers and some creative attempts to connect with fellow attendees.
Read More...How would you define “soil health”? How do you think others would define it? You have likely seen people using the term “soil health” to refer to concepts that you personally might not personally think fit the definition of soil health. You are not alone! Inconsistent definitions of soil health can make communication difficult and even confusing.
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As part of the Soil Health Nexus Digital Cafe Series, Gregg Sanford with University of Wisconsin, presents “Soil Health and Climate Resilience”. Diverse and perennial cropping systems are recognized for their soil health benefits, but that’s not all these cropping systems have to offer. A recent analysis using 26 years of data from the Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trail (WICST) shows that these systems also provide the co-benefits of long-term stable production and resilience to a changing climate, both hallmarks of sustainable or regenerative agricultural systems. In this webinar, Gregg discusses the findings from this long-term analysis of perennial and diverse agroecosystems and their importance for farming in a changing climate.
Read More...The Soil Health Nexus has further expanded its resources by adding two new “drawers” in their Soil Health Toolbox. The Biological Properties “drawer” and the Chemical Properties “drawer” are now published and available for use. SoilRead 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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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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Over the past decade, there has been significant research aiming to better understand the biophysical processes and indicators of soil health. Significantly less research however, has been dedicated to understanding people’s perceptions surrounding soil health. To help address this research gap, the Soil Health Nexus team conducted a survey to better understand how different audiences define soil health, growers’ perceived barriers to adopting soil health practices and resource needs for teaching soil health.
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