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Conservation Corner
Submitted by Andy Wertz, NRCS District Conservationist, Ellendale Field Office
This month’s article will focus on the principles of soil health and the benefits of implementing these concepts as a part of the overall operation.
There are five core soil health principles that help enrich the soil and the functions it provides. These five principles include: minimize soil disturbance, maximize soil cover, plant diversity, continual live plant/root, and livestock integration. The soil health principles are key to creating a soil health management system that will help build resiliency to climatic extremes, carbon sequestration, and profitability.
1: Minimizing Soil Disturbance – A typical soil is approximately 45% mineral (varying percents of sand, silt and clay), 5% soil organic matter, 25% water and 25% air. Pore spaces between the soil aggregates consist of water, air and soil microorganisms. Over time, tillage will create compaction which reduces pore spaces resulting in decreased water infiltration and destroys biological glues that help hold the soil together. Soil disturbance is not only in the form of tillage, but also can occur as chemical and biological disturbance. Chemical disturbance can include over application of nutrients and pesticides that disrupt soil biological functions. Biological disturbance can be a result of overgrazing, which can limit the harvesting of carbon dioxide and sunlight by plants. Minimizing soil disturbance can significantly reduce the impacts from tillage and improve soil function. Less disturbance will help rebuild soil aggregates and pore spaces making this core soil health principle an essential step for long-term soil productivity.
2: Soil Cover – Soil cover provides numerous benefits for cropland, rangeland, hayland, and more. Adequate cover protects soil from wind and/or water as it moves across the soil surface to prevent erosion. This helps hold the soil in place along with valuable soil organic matter and nutrients. Keeping the soil covered reduces evaporation rates and maintains more moisture available for plant use. Cover helps soil maintain a more moderate range of temperatures, keeping soil warmer in cold weather and cooler in hot weather. A few other benefits to keeping the soil covered include: reduces compaction from rainfall, suppresses weed growth, and provides biological habitat.
3: Plant Diversity – Diverse crop rotations that mimic original plant diversity landscapes are important to the long-term sustainability of the soil resource. Crop rotations should include the four crop types to provide more biodiversity. This will help improve rainfall infiltration, nutrient cycling, and reduce disease and pests. The four crop types include: Warm Season Grass, Warm Season Broadleaf, Cool Season Grass, and Cool Season Broadleaf. NRCS can provide assistance with navigating cropping systems and implementing cover crops to diversify crop rotations.
4: Continual Live Plant/Root – An essential component for building soil health and soil function is keeping a living plant/root in the soil for as long as possible through the year. Cropland systems typically have a dormant period before planting and after harvest. Cover crops can help fill in the dormant period and provide live root exudate, which is the primary food source for the soil food web. Cover crops may be incorporated as annuals, biennials, or perennials, which is a way to add plant diversity to a cropping system to provide valuable functions for the soil. Research has indicated that the use of perennials in cropping systems can achieve long-term soil health benefits. Starting out on a small-acre scale can help farmers and ranchers determine the best fit for their operation.
5: Livestock Integration – Integration of livestock is an important component to moving soil health forward, and animals, plants, and soils have always played a synergistic role together. In past years, there have been fewer farms including livestock as part of their overall operation. Fortunately, there is an increasing desire by farmers and ranchers to return livestock to the landscape. Benefits of integrating livestock include: balancing the carbon/nitrogen ratio, reducing nutrient exports, manage weed pressure, higher nutritional diet with grazing cover crops, and reducing livestock waste. Somes ways to include livestock in the operation are winter/fall grazing of cover crops and annual crop residues, summer grazing full-season cover crops to allow adequate plant recovery before a second grazing, feeding on hayland fields by rolling out bales or bale grazing, and seeding perennials for grazing and managed as part of the crop rotation.
These 5 core soil health principles are essential for building a resilient production system and achieving long-term soil health benefits. Consider these soil health concepts as the upcoming growing season approaches and put them in to practice. ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ As always, NRCS is available to assist with any technical questions on implementing conservation practices.
Upcoming Dates:
SCD District Board Meeting – February 12th @ 9am – USDA Service Center, Ellendale
Washington’s Birthday – February 17th – Office Closed
Conservation Stewardship Program Application Deadline – February 28th
For more information contact the James River Soil Conservation District and Ellendale NRCS office at 349-3653, ext. 3. Our field office is in Ellendale at 51 N. 1st Street. Also, remember to visit the James River Soil Conservation District Facebook page and our websites for more information –http://www.jamesriverscd.org/ and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/nd/home/. The NRCS is an equal opportunity employer, provider and lender.