Soil organic matter (SOM) is an indicator of how healthy and productive a soil is and serves many important functions. The higher the SOM the better the soil is. Read more in this article from the Leavenworth Times (Leavenworth, KS).

A carefully crafted cover crop composition, manure management, precision agriculture and the right mix of soil additives can be a recipe for improved soil health. Cover crops require a thoughtful approach. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

Soil health has been defined as “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain biological productivity, maintain the quality of air and water environments, and promote plant, animal, and human health.” The challenge with this poetic definition is that, while it does describe the functional abilities of soil, it does not provide quantifiable values or measurements. Read more in this article from the Alberta Farm Express.

Tong Wang, Advanced Production Specialist with South Dakota State University Extension, shares results from a study that looked at how growers in the Northern Great Plains adopt soil health practices. The study examined how growers value yield and profitability compared to soil health.

Cover crop adoption across the U.S. is on the rise, but Minnesota adoption has hovered around 2%. While Midwestern farmers understand the importance of soil health, adopting sustainable technologies that offer limited near-term economic returns is challenging. Read more in this article from University of Minnesota Extension.

Soil health is a term that everyone seems to be confused about or have their own opinion. Soil health is about three things: soil organic matter (SOM), soil microbes and organisms, and plants. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

White desert is how Frederick farmer, Don Nickelson, used to describe the saline patches on his land. “Nothing would grow there,” says the crop and cattle producer. Read more in this article from the Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (Yankton, SD).

Without the soil, no farming would exist. Growers should be fixated with maximizing every inch of soil and improving the various factors that impact soil health.

Some of our fields looked really scruffy, like stands of forgotten, overgrown brush that had given up the ghost and turned that pale, beige color of dead foliage we become so familiar with, and bored of, through the long months of winter. Only the early signs of small, emerging spikes of greenery in rows suggested that the fields had not been forgotten. Read more in this article from Lancaster Farming.

Soil is more than just dirt. It is a living substance and when balanced, exchanges nutrients, stores and drains water, and provides a healthy environment for crops and forages to produce realistic yield expectations (RYE). Read more in this article from the Sun Journal (New Bern, NC).