NACD is committed to promoting soil health across the nation through outreach and research. NACD encourages farmers, ranchers and forestland owners to use soil health practices through its Soil Health Champions Network—now famous for bringing over 200 producers nationwide together to share their stories and promote conservation practices.
NACD also promotes soil health through research. In late August 2017, NACD and Datu Research released four case studies detailing the economic benefits of using cover crops and/or no-till on corn and soybean operations in the Mississippi River basin.
You can also watch archived NACD soil health webinars on our website and learn more about soil health events.
SOIL HEALTH RESOURCES
On Working Lands
When it comes to building soil health on farmland, NACD and its member districts are strong advocates for the “big three” soil health practices: crop rotation, cover crops and no- or minimum tillage systems. These practices are proven to increase the organic content in topsoils, which in turn reduces the need for frequent applications of fertilizers and mitigates the effects of drought, excessive heat and extreme weather patterns on crops.
Specifically, cover crops reduce weed pressure, soil erosion and nutrient runoff, and can provide grazing for livestock. A diverse crop rotation reduces pest and weed pressure, too, as well as improving soil workability and water availability. Like cover crops and no-till, strip-till or other minimum-till systems, crop rotations effectively recycle plant nutrients in the soil, reducing the need for fertilizers and insecticides and saving farmers money. No-till, strip-till or other minimum till systems also lower fuel costs – since no-till equipment requires less horsepower – and can save farmers time – because conventional tilling requires multiple passes across a field, while no-till only requires one trip to plant a crop.
Soil health is also a critical feature on the 575 million acres of public and private grazing lands nationwide. These lands are vital to the economic and environmental well-being of America, and the livestock raised on these lands provide protein to people around the world. If sustainably managed, grazing and rangelands can also help protect and enhance habitat for a diverse array of wildlife. Today’s grazing practices maintain and improve the health of rangeland soils while also allowing producers to meet the nation’s need for food and fiber.
Rangeland managers face a number of challenges today, including the effects of climate change, wildfire, invasive species and land development. Addressing these and other issues in the West is often highly complex; however, NACD believes conservation-minded, responsible grazing practices remain the key to protecting the productivity of soils on private ranches and public rangeland.
Syngenta Pesticide Series – NACD
Cost Benefit Guide for Cover Crop Use – Benton SWCD, Ore.
Soil Health Resources – Burleigh County SCD, N.D.
2017 Cover Crop Survey and National Crop Residue Management Survey – Conservation Technology Information Center
Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health Training Manual – Cornell University
Conservation Cropping Systems Initiative – Indiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts
Working Group Report and Recommendations – National Working Group on Cover Crops and Soil Health
Cover Crops and Soil Health, Cover Crop Economics Decision Support Tool, The Science Behind Healthy Soils, and Soil Health Campaign – NRCS
Healthy Soil Resources – Ocean County SCD, N.J.
Managing Invasive Plants: Prescribed Grazing – Fish and Wildlife Service
Holistic Planned Grazing – Savory Institute
Soil Health: A Smaller Focus – Putnam County SWCD, Ind.
Soil Health Resources – Van Buren CD, Mich.
Soil Health Guide – Marion SWCD, Ind.
Soil Health Management Series – University of Minnesota
Healthy Soils, Health Crops – NRCS
“Resilient: Soil, water and the new stewards of the American West,” – National Young Farmers Coalition
“John Crawford: Healthy soil, healthy world,” – TED
Improving Soil Health, Soil Health Kit, and Cover Crop Series – Successful Farming
Mob Grazing series – South Dakota State University
The Soil Renaissance led by Farm Foundation and Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation
Soil Science Society of America
Soil and Water Conservation Society
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
Soil Health Partnership led by National Corn Growers Association
In Town
Water and wind erosion occur anywhere the soil is exposed, including on developed and developing lands. Soil erosion and sediment runoff reduce the carrying capacity of waterways, increase the potential for flooding, stress aquatic ecosystems, and pollute the air. Click on the links and resources below to learn more about urban and community erosion and sediment loss prevention.
Dakota SWCD – The Dakota SWCD in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolis conducts a well-rounded urban and suburban program including services in urban erosion and sedimentation control as well as other programs.
Ciudad SWCD – The Ciudad SWCD in New Mexico initiated, designed, and constructed the Juan Tabo Project in coordination with the New Mexico Recycling Coalition, the state’s environmental and transportation departments, and the City of Albuquerque. The demonstration site, on westbound I-40 at the Juan Tabo interchange, has reduced highway maintenance expenses and turned a liability – road runoff – into an asset used for highway beautification and resource conservation.
Urban Soil Survey via NRCS
Nonpoint Source Outreach Toolbox via EPA