Soil Health Buckets
Education & Follow Up
Utilizing funding provided through an agreement with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service as well as donations made by Farm Credit Services of America, First Dakota National Bank, Ducks Unlimited Inc., and Dacotah Bank the SD Soil Health Coalition provides educational “Soil Health Buckets” and lessons to vocational agriculture classrooms, soil science classrooms and additional youth groups.
Each “Bucket” includes eighteen different lesson plans and the tools necessary to demonstrate the soil health principles and concepts included within the plans. Each bucket complete with all necessary items has a price tag of nearly $500. The SD Soil Health Coalition would like to thank the current contributors, and will continue to work to provide each classroom the bucket, lesson plans, and follow up to educate our youth about soil health!
Those interested in receiving a Soil Health Bucket or contributing towards this project should contact Cindy Zenk, SDSHC Coordinator, at (605) 280-4190 for additional information.
Interested In Results From A Soil Health Knowledge, Interest, & Awareness Survey Conducted In 2018
Soil Health Lesson Plans
Lesson 1 Soil Components-Physical Properties
Lesson 2 Soil Organic Matter
Lesson 3 Using Textural Triangle
Lesson 4 Soil Moisture by Feel and Appearance
Lesson 5 Soil Quality Measurement
Lesson 6 Soil Bulk Density
Lesson 7 Soil Respiration
Lesson 8 Soil Electrical Conductivity
Lesson 9 Web Soil Survey
Lesson 10 Soil pH: What Affects it, What it Affects,
Managing it and Testing it
Lesson 11 Soil Nitrogen
Lesson 12 Soil Phosphorus
Lesson 13 Soil Infiltration
Lesson 14 Scientific Method
Lesson 15 Soil Science Capstone Activity
Lesson 16 Rainfall Simulator
Lesson 17 Soil Microbiology – “Tighty Whities” Test 1
Lesson 18 Soil Aggregates
2022 Soil Health Conference registration is open!
The 6th Annual Soil Health Conference will be held Jan. 18-19 at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Aberdeen, SD! Don't this chance to learn more about soil health with an outstanding lineup of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, contests, awards, and social events!
News & Events
Treating problems, not symptoms: Conference brings soil experts to Aberdeen
By Stan Wise Soil health is the new hot topic in agriculture. It’s showing up everywhere from government policy discussions to industry initiatives, from news articles to documentary films. Why is it so important? “Soil health is the foundation of the whole food...
Milpa Gardens Can Build Soil Health and Communities
By Stan Wise Sometimes a little chaos provides an opportunity for growth. That’s certainly the case with a chaos garden, also called a milpa garden. It’s a similar concept to the three sisters garden in which the three “sisters” of corn, beans and squash are planted...
Student Contests Announced for Soil Health Conference
The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition is excited to announce student photo and essay contests for the 2022 Soil Health Conference, Jan. 18-19 in Aberdeen, SD. The contests are open to students in middle school, high school, and post-secondary institutions. Winners...