www.sare.org resources farming-with-soil-life Farming with Soil Life This handbook, created by The Xerces Society, dives into soil biology. It provides a connection between healthy soils and healthy invertebrates found in temperate agricultural soils. Farming with Soil Life starts with a review of soil basics, including the functions, classifications and properties (physical, biological and chemical) of soil. It provides detailed methods on how […]
www.sare.org resources soil-health-principles-and-practices-videos Soil Health Principles and Practices Videos Investing in soil health is critical to the success of all farms, but many beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers struggle to put soil health principles into practice. There can be many reasons for this. Many of these producers have small acreage and land is expensive, and either they can't make this investment or they don't […]
www.sare.org resources building-soils-for-better-crops Building Soils for Better Crops The 4th edition of Building Soils for Better Crops is a one-of-a-kind, practical guide to ecological soil management. It provides step-by-step information on soil-improving practices as well as in-depth background—from what soil is to the importance of organic matter. It will show you how different physical, chemical and biological factors of the soil interconnect, and how […]
www.sare.org resources what-is-soil-health What is Soil Health? Why is soil health so important? More and more, producers are understanding that healthy soils are more productive and lead to healthier crops. Dig into this interactive infographic to learn more about sustainable production practices that can help build healthy soil. Explore the on-farm benefits of using cover crops, crop rotation, manure amendments, composting and […]
www.sare.org resources digging-into-soil-health Digging into Soil Health Session recordings on this page include: Soil Health Principles Soil Health Testing and Practices Soil Biology and Organic Matter Soil Health Principles Regenerating soil health and critical functions is key to achieving full soil productivity. During this session you will hear about the following soil health principles: How soil functions differ under different management practices […]
www.sare.org resources cover-crops-for-soil-health-workshop Cover Crops for Soil Health Workshop This three-day professional development workshop, hosted by Northeast SARE and Delaware State University in March 2016, addressed the latest research on the benefits and successful management of cover crops in grain, vegetable and animal production systems. All session recordings are available as a YouTube playlist, or browse to individual sessions below. Recorded sessions include: Overview […]
www.sare.org resources managing-soil-health-with-cover-crops-beyond-the-basics Managing Soil Health With Cover Crops: Beyond the Basics In this session, leading experts dive deep into the soil-related benefits of cover crops. Ray Weil (University of Maryland) discusses the physical benefits, including improved water infiltration and aggregate stability, as well as reduced compaction. Michel Cavigelli (USDA-ARS) explains how cover crop management affects soil health, addressing cropping systems, carbon storage, organic matter, conservation tillage […]
www.sare.org resources cover-crops-soil-health-principles-and-maximizing-yields Cover Crops, Soil Health Principles and Maximizing Yields Improving soil health not only cleans up water quality and reduces soil loss but also provides a better environment for cash crops to succeed. Learn about basic soil health principles and how cover crops are key to making those happen on your farm. Panelists include USDA Agricultural Research Service soil scientist Kristine Nichols and Indiana […]
www.sare.org resources soil-health-principles Soil Health Principles This session covered basic soil health principles necessary to build soil health, such as minimizing soil disturbance, keeping the soil covered at all times, growing a living root year round and using plant diversity above ground to increase diversity below. It also reviewed soil health testing procedures. Soil Health Planning Principles: Farming into the 21st […]