Soil Health

By Kyle Venell, NACD Pacific Region Representative  Farm Journal Trust In Food, in collaboration with Blue Diamond Growers and Agriland Farming Company, Inc., recently hosted growers, industry leaders, and conservation partners for an in-field event focused on advancing innovation in California almond production. The takeaway was straightforward: growers are already testing and using new technologies. The challenge now is “scaling adoption in ways that…… Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_72696" align="alignright" width="519"] Photo from Washington County SWCD[/caption] By Nika Colley, NACD Northeast Region Representative In conservation, it is often seen that natural resources, and the issues associated with them, do not adhere neatly with human borders. Many conservation districts work across municipal, county, and state boundaries. Some, like the Washington County Soil and…… Continue reading →

By Caroline Wade, Executive Director, Saving Tomorrow's Agriculture Resources (STAR) Saving Tomorrow’s Agriculture Resources (STAR) is a national scale framework for conservation evaluation, implementation, and coordination that supports technical assistance providers and streamlines conservation progress for producers. It is available for cropland in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah and…… Continue reading →

By Nicole Poitra, NACD Northern Plains Region Representative At the foot of Montana’s Crazy Mountains in Big Timber, Dan and Tami Sanders are transforming their leased 500-acre ranch along the Yellowstone River into a working model of regenerative agriculture. Guided by the wisdom of local ranchers and supported by modern soil-health practices, they’re blending tradition…… Continue reading →

April 14, 2025, marked the 90th anniversary of Black Sunday, the most infamous day of the Dust Bowl era and one of the darkest moments in America’s environmental history. On that day in 1935, a massive dust storm swept across the Southern Plains, turning daylight into darkness and leaving behind a wake of devastation. Oklahoma,…… Continue reading →

The Pulaski Conservation District in Arkansas, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), is leading a groundbreaking initiative aimed at tackling food insecurity in urban areas through community-driven urban agriculture. This program focuses on building partnerships, educating the community, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices to create lasting food security, particularly in…… Continue reading →

By Dr. Robert L. Myers, University of Missouri [caption id="attachment_51802" align="alignright" width="169"] Jimmy and his wife Ginger[/caption] The proliferation of USDA climate-smart programs supporting cover crops, including the Farmers for Soil Health initiative and NACD’s climate-smart project, has created a demand for more information on cover crops. My new cover crop guidebook, “Cover Crops: Improving…… Continue reading →

By Wesley Gibson, NACD South Central Region Representative In the heart of the South Central Region, soil and water conservation district officials gathered for a highly anticipated annual event that epitomizes the spirit of collaboration and sustainable land management. On August 13-15, 2023, the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts (ATSWCD) hosted the…… Continue reading →

After years of research and field study, Tomasz Falkowski is putting his experience about the importance of healthy soils into practice. “I think the land is an excellent teacher of what will work, particularly in the New Mexico area,” the Associate Forestry Professor at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas said. “Learning the language…… Continue reading →

Carl Struck and Johanne Riddick’s Ponderosa restoration effort in New Mexico has grown into a diverse, robust ecosystem. Recently, Struck and Riddick have been recognized as NACD Soil Health Champions for their work. “Our initial management goals did not include supporting and increasing soil health,” Struck said. “The condition of the soils came into focus…… Continue reading →