Soil organic matter - Articles

Soil Organic Matter is Key to Soil Water Capacity

April 15, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: University of Minnesota Extension

One benefit of increasing soil organic matter is to store more water in your soil. Why does this happen? Because soil organic matter creates pores in a range of sizes. Read more in this article from the University of Minnesota Extension.

Poor Soil Health Causes Compaction, Poor Soil Structure

March 16, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Ohio's Country Journal

Engineers insist that soil compaction is caused by wheel traffic (true) but it also comes from excessive tillage, rain (think hard driving rains) and gravity (to a lesser degree). Soil compaction is poor soil structure due to a lack of roots and active carbon (soil organic matter, SOM) from root exudates. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

Meeting Cover Crop Goals

January 20, 2020 | Posted in Soil Health

Source: Aberdeen News

Cover crops can be used to benefit multiple aspects of your operation. However, in order to see notable improvement, specific areas you want to progress must be outlined so that a plan of action can be formed accordingly. As we get through the start of the New Year, now is a good time to set goals for cover crop performance and develop a strategic plan to achieve them.

[Video] Soil Regeneration Pioneer

September 23, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

Gabe Brown, along with his wife, Shelly, and son, Paul, own and operate a diversified 5,000-acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, N.D.

Cover Crop Options for Prevented Planting Acres

May 29, 2019 | Posted in Seeding Practices

Source: Green Cover Seed

While not getting a cash crop planted is a negative event, there can be some positives that come out of it, such as an opportunity to break out of the corn/soybean rut and plant cover crops to add diversity to farm operations, says Keith Berns of Green Cover Seed.

Study: Cover Crops Can Suppress Weeds, Boost Crop Yields with Proper Management

April 29, 2019 | Posted in Economics

Source: Kansas State University

A long-term study by Kansas State University researchers looking at the value of cover crops seeded in a no-till rotation with wheat, sorghum and soybeans found covers have definite advantages when they're used properly by farmers.

From the Desk of John Dobberstein

Cover Crops Numbers Look Good — But More Work to Do

Momentum for the cover crop movement is certainly growing, but it will take additional support and fine-tuning of the message at the regional and local level to get more farmers hooked.

April 19, 2019

Momentum for the cover crop movement is certainly growing, but it will take additional support and fine-tuning of the message at the regional and local level to get farmers hooked.

What I've Learned From No-Tilling: No-tilling, Cover Crops Help Tame Troublesome Soils

Abused, heavy clay soils are now almost fluffy and far more productive thanks to careful management focused on improvement.

By Angela "Annie" Dee posted on January 8, 2019 | Posted in Soil Health

We went from farming white sugar sand to farming the heaviest of clay soils when my family moved our farming operation from Florida to Alabama in 1989. To say the move made farming a bit different would be a drastic understatement.

Saved Sediment, Covers, Worms Bring No-Till ‘Gold’ to the Surface

Dwight Clary says seeding covers have revved up his Ohio farm by suppressing weeds, taking up nutrients and building organic matter.

By Laura Barrera posted on July 29, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

An interest in conservation hit Dwight Clary early in life. When he was 13 years old, one of his 4H projects won a County Conservation Award. The prize? A week at Conservation Camp. That was when he learned about a new practice called “no-till.”

Organic Matter: The Lifeline of Soil

February 20, 2017 | Posted in Soil Health

Focusing on growing your soil, instead of just growing yields, could help farmers reach their yield goals, says a crops and soils specialist from Kansas State University Extension.