Soil health - Articles

Soil Health Benefits Top Reason Growers Planting Cover Crops

Results from the 2nd annual Cover Crop Strategies Benchmark Study show most growers aren’t paid for plant covers but still want to improve soil health.

By Sarah Hill posted on June 7, 2021

More and more governments and organizations are offering incentives to growers to offset costs of planting cover crops. But over half of growers don’t receive incentive payments, according to results from Cover Crop Strategies’ 2nd annual Cover Crop Benchmark Study.

GO Seed Hires Dr. Shannon Cappellazzi to Head Research

June 2, 2021

Cappellazzi will be working with GO Seed’s partners and customers, Ag Research Services, the National Ecological Observatory Network, Oregon State University (where she serves on the courtesy faculty) and research collaborators across the U.S., Canada and Mexico to better understand how plants impact the microbial life within the soil.

Rethinking Cropland Management with Planting Green

June 2, 2021 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: South Dakota Soil Health Coalition

Peter Sexton, associate professor and South Dakota State University Extension sustainable cropping systems specialist at the SDSU Southeast Research Farm, has found that planting green has water quality benefits. Read more in this article from the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition.

Soil Health & Earthworms

April 28, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Capital Journal (Pierre, SD)

According to a 2001 paper (Land degradation: an overview), it is estimated that the total annual cost of erosion from agriculture in the USA is about $44 billion per year, i.e. about $100 per acre of cropland and pasture. On a global scale, the annual loss of 75 billion tons of soil costs the world about $400 billion per year, or approximately $70 per person per year (Eswaran, H., et. al. 2001). Read more in this article from the Capital Journal (Pierre, SD).

CoverCress Receives $8 Million in Funding From Bunge

April 21, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: AgFunder News

The funding was led by Bunge Ventures, the venture capital arm of US agribusiness firm Bunge. REG Ventures, a subsidiary of US biodiesel producer Renewable Energy Group (REG), also participated in the round. Read more in this article from AgFunder News.

[Podcast] Managing Grazing Covers to Maximize Soil Health Benefits

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Colin Walden, Rangeland Management Specialist with NRCS. Walden will discuss the soil health benefits of grazing, how cover crops can be part of a managed grazing program, what practices improve forage cover crops for grazing, and more.

April 20, 2021 | Posted in Grazing

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Bio Till Cover Crops, features Colin Walden, Rangeland Management Specialist with NRCS. Walden will discuss the soil health benefits of grazing, how cover crops can be part of a managed grazing program, what practices improve forage cover crops for grazing, and more.

[Video] Building Strong Soil for Healthy Crops

April 9, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

In this video from University of Minnesota Extension, Soil Health Specialist Anna Cates discusses how soil texture determines soil structure, how farming practices change soil structure, why soil aggregates are important, and more.

Kansas Growers Form Soil Health Alliance

April 7, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is a recently-formed nonprofit organization that has been established to be a trusted partner and valuable soil health resource for Kansas growers. The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is led by a board of Kansas farmers and ranchers supported by five partner organizations.

Hedging Your Long-Term Weed Control Bets to Reduce Herbicide Reliance

No-tiller and crop consultant Jon Spreng, Perrysville, Ohio, says the biggest challenge to combining no-till and cover crops is finding a permanent weed control solution.

By Sarah Hill posted on March 10, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

Herbicides alone aren’t going to be enough to control weeds in the long run, says Jon Spreng, a no-tiller and crop consultant from Perrysville, Ohio. The current herbicide choices available on the market may last 10-30 years, but unless new active ingredients come along, the fourth-generation grower says he believes that weed resistance will only get worse.

[Video] Improving Soil Health Will Prevent Erosion

March 8, 2021 | Posted in Soil Health

Wind storms are carrying topsoil away from valuable farmland, and that wind erosion is extremely detrimental to the agriculture industry. Soil degradation is contributing to erosion, and using fertilizer to bridge the gaps of nutrients in the soil may be more harmful than helpful.