Soil Health

All Soil Health Content
A no-till and conventionally managed watershed side-by-side. The no-till field has dramatically less flooding and runoff.

Tale of Two Watersheds

See the difference that cover crops and a no-till cropping system can have on watersheds when high winds and heavy rains impact our region. The difference in the amounts of run-off water is astounding!

Soil fertilizer spread within a one square foot box.

Seven Grams of Fertilizer Is All It Takes: Growing Optimal Corn in South Dakota

Have we really asked how much fertilizer is really takes to grow a decent corn crop? Learn some important considerations for fertilizing corn and improving long-term soil health and fertility.

Farmer standing in a no-till field at sunset.

Does the GREET Carbon Model Address Soil Health Principles?

Learn how the recent Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) production model lines up with the Five Soil Health Principles.

Two researchers analyzing soil in a no-till field with cover crops growing throughout.

Does the COMET Carbon Model Address Soil Health Principles?

The COMET-Farm model, developed by USDA/NRCS and Colorado State University, is a whole farm and ranch carbon and greenhouse gas accounting system. Learn how it addresses the Five Soil Health Principles.

Two rows of corn at V5 leaf growth stage looking down from above. Between the corn rows there are 3 separate cotton strips placed on the soil surface just before burial in a 2-inch-deep trench. The cotton strips are numbered for their identification after recovery at three different dates.

Cotton Strip Soil Test: Rapid Assessment of Soil Microbial Activity in the Field

Soil has always been considered as a living system due to its biological components: fungi, bacteria and plant roots. Under several ongoing research projects, we started researching how we can use ‘cotton strip assay’ to compare different cover crop mixes to optimize field soil activity and build up better soil health.

Hands holding a clump of healthy soil from a no-till field.

Biological Agronomy

Biological agronomy is an adaptive soil management system used to build soil microbiology through intensive regenerative practices that increase carbon and nutrient availability for profitable crop production.

aerial view of the James River Valley

Every Acre Counts

Every Acre Counts improves production practices for greater profitability.

two black beetles rolling a ball of dung

Promoting Dung Beetles on the Range

In South Dakota, dung beetles help regulate rangeland health through dung dispersal.

Salts accumulate on the soil surface of a field with salinity issues.

Soil Salinity, Sodicity, and Alkalinity in South Dakota Soils

Salinity and sodicity are issues that negatively affect crop production and soil health in South Dakota.

Pigs in a feeding facility

SDSU Extension to host CAFO training

November 12, 2024

Specialists from South Dakota State University Extension, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service will provide the training.