Our Vision

The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition, led by farmers and ranchers, supports the advancement of land stewardship and profitability by nurturing life from the soil up.

Soil Health Conference Registration Open!

The 2025 Soil Health Conference will be held Jan. 15-16 at the Ramkota Hotel and Event Center in Watertown, a spacious venue which will allow for a full day and a half of speaker sessions, awards, producer panels, and time to engage with sponsors. This event will feature many speakers including Keith Berns, Nebraska no-till farmer, ag educator, and co-owner of Green Cover Seed; Paul Jasa, noted Extension egineer at University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Dr. Jon Lundgren, Ecdysis Foundation executive director and CEO of Blue Dasher Farm; and Joe Breker, an award-winning North Dakota producer who has been using regenerative agriculture practices for over 40 years!

News & Events

Restaurateur promotes local food for community security

Restaurateur promotes local food for community security

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – When Sioux Falls restaurateur Tim Meagher purchases local food, he doesn’t do it because it’s trendy. For him, it’s about securing a future for his business and the community. “If somebody else has control of our food system – if you were a...

Dormant seeding makes room for wheat in crop rotations

Dormant seeding makes room for wheat in crop rotations

By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – It’s the age-old struggle – farmers scramble to get their work done within the timeframe that Mother Nature affords them. Depending on the local weather patterns, it can be a challenge, and farmers who follow regenerative agriculture...

New website helps consumers connect with local producers

New website helps consumers connect with local producers

PIERRE, SD – It’s no secret that consumers are hungry for safe, healthy, sustainable, locally grown food. South Dakota’s small scale and urban producers are stepping up to the plate by learning how to improve their land, their environment, and their communities while...

Our Mission

The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition works in collaboration with agriculturalists to support the implementation of practices to improve soil health. Our producer-led organization offers resources, training, and events that demonstrate how healthy soil results in vibrant communities.

5 Principles of soil health

1. Soil Cover

Keep plant residues on the soil surface. Look down, what percentage of your soil is protected by residue? Erosion needs to be minimized before you can start building soil health.

2. Limited Disturbance

Minimize physical, chemical, and biological disturbance as much as possible. You will start building soil aggregates, pore spaces, soil biology, and organic matter.

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3. Living Roots

Keep plants growing throughout the year to feed the soil. Cover crops can add carbon to the soil, providing a great food source for micro-organisms. Try to add a perennial to your system. Start small to find the best fit for your operation.

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4. Diversity

Try to mimic nature. Use cool and warm season grasses and broad leaf plants as much as possible, with three or more crops and cover crops in rotation. Grassland and cropland plant diversity increases soil and animal health.

5. Integrating Livestock

Fall/winter grazing of cover crops and crop residue increases livestock’s plane of nutrition at a time when pasture forage quality can be low, increases the soil biological activity on cropland, and improves nutrient cycling. Proper grassland management improves soil health.

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Soil Health Benefits

Organic Matter

Builds organic matter which retains and cycles nitrogen and sequesters carbon; which in turn reduces fertilizer and fuel costs.

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Water Infiltration

Improves water infiltration and retention which helps to better manage the effects of flood or drought and improves trafficability.

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Water Quality

Healthy soils filter and clean water that moves through it, for improved water quality.

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Reduced Erosion

Stabilizes soil aggregates which improves resistance to erosion by wind and water.

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Wildlife Habitat

Enhances wildlife habitat and balances the biological community above and below ground.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Healthy soil will be key to feeding 9 billion people by 2050.

Earthworm populations consume 2 tons of dry matter per acre per year, partly digesting and mixing it to form healthy soil.

Healthy soil is made of about 45% minerals 25% water 5% organic matter and 25% air.

One teaspoon of healthy soil contains 100 million–1 billion individual bacteria.