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.

Heading into what’s likely to be another wet spring, farmers can take some stress out of the planting season by planning ahead. “Put together multiple plans of action … and take some of that emotion out of the in-season decision making process,” advised Kyle Gustafson, agronomist with WinField United based in Brookings, South Dakota. Read more in this article from Kenosha News.

Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa conducted a 10-year study on the conservation benefits of planting cereal rye as a cover crop on corn and soybean fields. Their results show the practice improves soil health. Read more in this story from Iowa Public Radio.

Through the America Society of Agronomy (ASA) and Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), continuing education credits have been approved for the upcoming National Cover Crop Summit, a free online event designed to improve cover crop knowledge and management for farmers and educators.

The Southern High Plains of the United States have low annual rainfall. When it does rain, though, intense storms can cause severe soil erosion. Strong winds also strip away valuable topsoil. Enter cover crops. Read more in this article from the Crop Science Society of America.

Understanding grazing math is important and powerful information and can certainly impact your bottom line. You certainly don’t want to wait until this time of year to find that you don’t have enough winter feed so we must constantly be looking ahead. Read more in this article from the Washington Times Herald.

It appears that the level of adoption for cover cropping in California is significantly lagging behind the rest of the country. While there are a number of different factors that can act as a barrier for implementing cover crops into an agricultural operation, an interesting trend was discovered when looking at the data from the 2017 census of agriculture. Read more in this article from AgNet West.

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) announced the release of a free, first-of-its-kind curriculum, “A Guide to Conducting a Pollinator Conservation Field Day,” available for download. This new curriculum is designed to provide interactive learning experiences for grades K-8, engaging them in habitat-focused, pollinator-themed activities for the classroom and outdoors.

Only a fraction of conventional row crop farmers grow cover crops after harvest, but a new global analysis from the University of Illinois shows the practice can boost soil microbial abundance by 27%. The result adds to cover crops’ reputation for nitrogen loss reduction, weed suppression, erosion control, and more.

As attention on water quality, sustainability, farm income levels, and rural quality of life grows every year, those of us who work in the soil and water conservation arena often wonder what will be required to get the majority of landowners to adopt even the most basic soil health practices. We live in the most altered landscape in the United States, we have nearly the smallest amount of forests and public lands of any state, and we have only half of the topsoil we had in the 1860s. Read more in this article from the Globe Gazette (Mason City, IA).