Technical Resources
Physical Properties
Chemical Properties
Biological Properties
Soil Health Concerns
Five Principles of Soil Health
South Dakota Healthy Soils Handbook
This book is your guide to soil health principles, practices and options for your operation. If you want to learn more about soil and find advice on how to implement good soil health practices, the South Dakota Healthy Soils Handbook is just what you need. You can read and download the entire book here. For the best viewing experience, we recommend the following web browsers: Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox. If you would like a hard copy of the book, please contact the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition.
Mentor Network
Interested in talking to another producer or technical experts about how they have used soil health practices? Take a look at this network of individuals willing to mentor and answer your questions! Giving Advice, Finding Solutions, and Building Connections for Healthier Soil, Healthier Crops, Healthier Livestock, and Healthier People.
Soil Health Planning and Improvement Project
This project offers financial and technical assistance to producers willing to adopt certain soil health management practices for land within specific watershed areas in South Dakota.
Soil Health Assessment Card – English and Spanish
The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition has created a Soil Health Assessment Card which agricultural producers of all types, ranchers, gardeners, and others can utilize on site to assess their current level of soil health. Download the current version of the card, and utilize it in one of your fields, or production areas today! Contact us if you would like a Soil Health Technician to visit with you about your results or assist you in completing the card.
Additional Resources
- Soil Quality Indicator Fact Sheets- USDA NRCS
- Soil Texture Calculator- USDA NRCS
- Soil Quality Test Kit Guide-USDA NRCS
- Cover Crop Excel Worksheet – USDA NRCS
- Soil Structure Backgrounder – USDA NRCS
- “How To Avoid Soil Compaction: True, False, Q&A”- Corn+Soybean Digest
- “Managing Cover Crops Profitably” Third Addition PDF
- “Building Soils For Better Crops” By Fred Magdoff and Harold Van Es PDF
- “Recommendations for Managing Corn Residue at Harvest” Paul Jasa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Palmer Amaranth ID Pamphlet- SDSU Extension 2020
- 2019 60 Inch Corn Test Plot Report
- 2019 60 Inch Corn Test Plot Two Sided Fact Sheet
- 2019 60 Inch Corn Test Plot Brochure
News & Events
Wet or dry, less stress: Father and son credit focus on healthy soils
Eli (left) and Barry Little. Photo courtesy of USDA-NRCS SD. By Lynn Betts For the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition “We feel like if we get the moisture that God gave us and leave it where it's supposed to be, we can get through most any year,” Barry Little...
Standing up to drought: No-till, cover crops build resilient soil for managing water
By Janelle Atyeo For the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition South Dakota farmers slogged through two wet years before the rain shut off in the middle of the last growing season. Now a warm start to winter without much snow cover has farmers heading into the next crop...
Maximum benefits seen when cover crops and cattle grazing added to no-till
By Lura Roti for South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Driving conditions were challenging as Brandt, S.D., farmer Tyler Brown made his way south to the Texas Panhandle this December. “I started out in a snowstorm, then it became a dirt storm. And it made me realize, we...