Intact soil cores, like the one shown here, were used to measure plant available water holding capacity by the Soil Health Institute. These cores capture soil’s natural structure and provide a more realistic assessment of how increasing soil carbon builds drought resilience. Thanks to a new research study by the Soil Heath Institute, new insights are emerging into the vital role that soil organic carbon levels can play in improving soil health and helping crops fight drought.   The publication includes the development of new pedotransfer function equations, available for use by other ..read more

Figure 1: The LMFRI inserted into the soil to image roots. The architecture of plant roots influences many important functions, such as water and nutrient uptake. Root system architecture reflects the interaction of the genetic makeup of the plant with its environment. Characterizing this interaction (i.e., “root phenotyping”) provides critical information to plant breeders for developing new crop varieties that have improved drought tolerance, greater root biomass, and greater nutrient use efficiency. Phenotyping roots in the natural environment is important for understanding the impact of so ..read more

The “regeneration” in regenerative agriculture refers to the transformations that take place when soil is managed as a living ecosystem. For example, a soil that is undisturbed and has more continuous living roots will begin to show improvements in structure, as organic residues from plants and microbes glue mineral particles together into aggregates. Well-structured soils feature a wide range of micro-habitats and, consequently, can support a greater diversity of soil organisms. These organisms’ life cycles improve conditions for plant growth (e.g., aeration by earthworms and enhanced nutrien ..read more

Farmers are businesspeople and one of the first pieces of information asked by farmers and crop consultants considering a transition to soil health practices is, “What is the business case for adopting soil health practices?”  Because of this question, research and communication related to on-farm economics is a key component of the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund. Regenerative soil health management has been shown to reduce inputs and increase crop yield and resilience. The Soil Health Institute interviewed 100 corn and soybean farmers and used partial budget economics assessments to docum ..read more

Improving soil health has been described as a journey more than a destination as each new cropping season brings a different set of challenges to address. Where can producers go to get answers to their questions about cover cropping, no-till equipment, and other soil health related activities? Fortunately, the soil health community is a very generous and supporting group, willing to share their successes and failures with any producer willing to listen. With this in mind, the U.S. Regenerative Cotton Fund (USRCF) is working to establish a “soil health farmer network” that will serve as a found ..read more

Most folks involved with agriculture have had some basic training in soils. We’ve been taught that soil is the upper layer of earth in which plants grow. It is a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and rock particles along with various amounts of organic material. We learn that the ideal soil consists of 50% solids (primarily sand, silt, clay, and organic matter) along with 50% pore space, which can be occupied by water and/or air. Most mineral soils have less 8% organic matter – the more, the better. Finally, soil has physical, chemical, and bio ..read more

According to USDA Labor and Statistics, minorities make up about 9% of the jobs in the agricultural and biological sciences (Bailey et al., 2017; Horst and Marion, 2019). With the ethnic population in the U.S. expected to double in the next 40 years, our workforce needs to reflect the diversity, values, and contributions of people from various ethnicities and cultures (Vespa et al., 2018).  As interest in regenerative agriculture and soil health grows, growing an agricultural workforce and leadership with experience in soil health and a variety of cultural work settings is vital for great ..read more

Enriching Soil, Enhancing Life National Soil Health Day celebrates the vitality and productivity of our soils. This year, the Soil Health Institute is teaming up with the Farm Foundation, an organization that was instrumental in creating the Institute, to advance the adoption of soil health systems that are foundational for regenerative agriculture. Below are some video resources to learn more about the importance of soil health for farmers, communities, and the environment. 01:23 Living Soil Film 02:50 Keith Berns: Multiple Companion Cover Crops Enhance Soil 04:44 Theory of Cha ..read more

Professor Emanoel Gomes de Moura is professor in the Agroecology Post- Graduate programme at Maranhão State University in Brazil. He is a specialist in tropical agriculture with particular interest in low-fertility soils and the stabilization of soil organic carbon. Alana das Chagas Ferreira Aguiar is also a professor at Maranhão State University where she works on ecological intensification and nutrient cycling, working with family farmers. They have both been collaborating with Professor Sacha Mooney (University of Nottingham, and CEPHaS project) to examine and demonstrate the benefits ..read more

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