Soil Health

Soil is the foundation of agricultural production and land-based food systems. It is a living ecosystem that provides a wide array of essential services for plants, animals, and humans, including nutrient and carbon cycling, water storage, climate regulation, “waste” assimilation and transformation, information networking, and food provision for the vast majority of organisms living on land. Soil health is broadly defined by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans. Therefore, a mindful and proactive stewardship of soil health in agricultural lands is of paramount importance. 

Managing for soil health (maintaining and improving soil ecosystem function) is mostly a matter of protecting its physical and chemical integrity and maintaining suitable habitat for the myriad of microscopic creatures that comprise the soil food web. NRCS identifies four principles for an adequate stewardship of soil health: 

• Maintain soil cover throughout the year
• Minimize soil disturbance
• Maintain living roots throughout the year
• Support diversity of the soil’s microbial and vegetation community

And there is a complementary fifth principle within the framework of Regenerative Agriculture.

• Incorporate grazing animals (whenever possible)

The RCD focuses on farm management practices that support optimal soil organic matter, soil structure, soil depth, and water and nutrient holding capacity. We provide direct assistance to growers including:

• Technical and financial assistance to implement best management practices such as cover crops, compost, mulch, reduced till and more
• Soil health assessments and monitoring
• Field trials evaluating the impacts of various soil amendments and management practices on soil condition and crop yields

• Identification of site-specific opportunities and practices to improve soil management