3 Key Things Every Farmer Needs to Know About Soil Health
Exactly what defines soil health? According to the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) soil health is “the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.” Whatever the nature of your farming operation may be, here are three key things to know about maintaining the health of your farm’s soil.
Soil Health Principles Can Work for Any Type of Soil
It doesn’t matter if the soil on your farm is comprised of blow sands or heavy clay, the principles of soil health still apply. For instance, the practice of growing cover crops in between your cash crop and using the cover crops to graze your livestock are principles that can greatly enhance the health of your soil—even if you have varying soil textures on your property.
Aggregate Stability Can Determine Soil Health
You can determine the overall health of your soil though its aggregate stability. An in-field slake test measures such stability when exposed to rapid wetting. If a soil sample holds together in the presence of water it means that water will infiltrate—which makes for better aggregate stability, better nutrient cycling, and less nutrients lost to leaching, according to NRCS Soil Health Specialist Doug Peterson in an interview with Successful Farming magazine.
Reducing Tillage Helps Improve the Health of Your Soil
Reducing tillage can go a long way toward improving the overall health of your soil. Tillage destroys the structure of soil and its infrastructure of microscopic bugs, earthworms, beetles, and ants, as well as the microbes of yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae, nematodes, and protozoa that process organic matter into rich humus (through anaerobic fermentation). All of these organisms work together to feed the soil. Tillage destroys this intricate and vital community. Reducing tillage can give your soil a chance to recover.
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