Limited Disturbance
Soil Health: Principle 2 of 5 – Minimizing Soil Disturbance
Soil disturbance comes in three varieties, with each form impacting important soil functions.
Physical Disturbance: The most obvious form of soil disturbance is by tillage. Compared with soils under no-till soil health management, tilled soils have:
- Decreased water infiltration and storage. Tillage destroys soil aggregates and severs natural pathways and pores created by roots, worms and soil biota. When these pathways are broken, precipitation slowly seeps into the soil, often at rates slower than the rate of rainfall. Soil water storage is decreased because the aggregates that create pore space for water to be held are destroyed, and organic matter is reduced. Soil organic matter can hold up to 20 times its weight in water (Reicosky, 2005).
- Reduced organic matter. Tillage destroys organic matter by exposing it to air. When exposed to air, organic matter is consumed by opportunistic bacteria, and lost through erosion.
- Increased Erosion. Water erosion increases because of reduced infiltration rates; and wind erosion increases because tillage leaves less protective residue on the surface.
Biologic Disturbance: While not as visually obvious as a physical disturbance such as tillage, biological disturbance also impacts soil function. All soil life needs energy to survive. That energy is provided by plants. Plants harvest CO2 and sunlight through photosynthesis to produce energy, namely sugars, some of which is transferred via roots to below ground life. A living root in the soil as much as possible is important. Cover crops in your crop rotation are a great way to extend and diversify living root presence. Proper grazing management will also increase the ability of perennial plant to harvest sunlight.
Chemical Disturbance: Chemical disturbance occurs with overuse of fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. A diverse cropping system can help reduce reliance on pesticides and fertilizers.

Registration Open for Two Soil Health Schools!
The 2025 West River Soil Health School will be held June 25-26 in Caputa, SD, and the 2025 Soil Health School will be held September 3-5 in Huron, SD. Each of these two schools will feature outstanding instructors consisting of industry professionals, researchers, and experienced producers. The days will be split between classroom discussions and field exercises designed to help you improve your land and your profit margins through regenerative agriculture practices. Visit our events page to learn more about these excellent learning opportunities!
News & Events
Virtual fences can make a real difference
By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – Moving livestock is an inescapable part of a rancher’s life, and it can be labor intensive, especially if a producer uses a rotational grazing system designed to improve rangeland and soil health. But what if it doesn’t have to be? Enter...
Regenerative ag can grow the bottom line
By Stan Wise PIERRE, SD – As regenerative agriculture gains traction as a hot topic, one question dominates the farming community: Does it pay? Simply put, yes, it does. Regenerative ag is an approach to land management that focuses on improving soil health,...
Awards, new board member announced at Soil Health Conference
PIERRE, SD – The Ninth Annual Soil Health Conference, Jan. 15-16 at the Ramkota Hotel and Event Center in Watertown, SD, saw approximately 500 attendees, including over a hundred students. The South Dakota Soil Health Coalition was thrilled to offer this opportunity...