Soil health is defined by the USDA NRCS as the continued capacity of a soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans. These functions include maintaining plant productivity, regulating and partitioning water, filtering and buffering against pollutants, and storing and cycling nutrients.
Soil health as we know it depends on management and generally boils down to organic matter and porosity, two physical properties that are highly dependent on soil texture. When we have higher organic matter we have, greater water infiltration, lower bulk density, higher EC (Electro Conductivity), higher respiration, greater soil nitrogen, greater aggregate stability, more earthworms and more soil microbes.
To improve soil health farmers should consider implementing a practice or combination of practices that depend on soil texture, soil health status, and constraints of their farming system. The practices include minimizing disturbance, maximize time with living roots, keep the soil covered, and diversifying rotations.
News
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Cover crops can help urban growers of all scales improve soil conditions
Published on January 20, 2020
MSU Extension releases resources to help urban growers implement cover-cropping practices
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Soil pore structure key to carbon storage
Published on December 5, 2019
A window to the microbial world of carbon cycling
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September 12-13 farm drainage field day postponed until June 2020
Published on September 5, 2019
Due to persisting wet conditions, the drainage field day in Lenawee County has been postponed to June 24-25, 2020.
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Kick your soil health up a notch by attending Aug. 26 twilight meeting
Published on July 29, 2019
Michigan State University Extension and the MSU cover crops team are offering another great soil health educational event for fee to farmers in the Monroe County area.
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MSU Cover Crop Team Webinar Series: Interseeding cover crops in corn in Michigan
Published on May 21, 2019
The second webinar in this series highlights research at MSU on interseeding cover crops into standing corn.
