The Five Principles of Soil Health
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.
Limited Disturbance
Minimize tillage as much as possible. You will start building soil aggregates, pore spaces, soil biology, and organic matter.
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.
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. Start small to find the best fit for your operation.
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.
News & Events
Expanding Mesonet weather network to focus on soil moisture
By Stan Wise South Dakota Soil Health Coalition PIERRE, SD – What’s better than real-time weather data? More real-time weather data, of course. The South Dakota Mesonet currently has 32 weather stations in the state, according to Mesonet Director Nathan Edwards, and...
Finding the right water solutions for a rotational grazing plan
By Stan Wise South Dakota Soil Health Coalition PIERRE, SD – What does a pasture have in common with a marathon runner? According to Natural Resources Conservation Service State Grazing Lands Soil Health Specialist Tanse Herrmann, they both need time to recover. “A...
Reap the value of beneficial insects through soil health
By Stan Wise South Dakota Soil Health Coalition Fifty-seven billion dollars. That’s the annual monetary value a 2006 economic study published in BioScience attributed to just four services performed by wild insects in the United States – pest control, pollination,...