soil health

Wildlife funds to promote cover crops in Indiana, Michigan

To improve water quality and wildlife habitat, Ducks Unlimited (DU) and its partners are spearheading an effort to use almost $400,000 to help Indiana and Michigan farmers implement 75,000 acres of cover crops over four... more »

Fertilizer, input costs focus of UF/IFAS seminar

Agriculture’s tenuous relationship with global events, increasing input costs and competition posed by other growing regions were brought into focus at this year’s Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference. The March event at the University of... more »

Carbon farming payments possible with soil-building

Vegetable growers building their soils and boosting yields may consider a side gig in carbon farming. The idea of carbon farming has been floated for years as a way to reclaim carbon emissions in the... more »

Raised beds on fine-textured soils impact marketability

Young growers without a lot of land may not have many choices on where to grow vegetables and may even try to grow carrots on fine-textured soils. Can growing the carrots in raised beds improve... more »

Soil health: Simple topic but complicated in practice

Soil health sounds simple but it’s based on soil organic matter and the processes affecting soil organic matter are complicated with many interrelationships. That’s the message of Laurie Drinkwater, professor in Cornell University’s Horticulture Section... more »

Anaerobic soil disinfestation curbs high tunnel pathogens

Continuous production of high value crops in high tunnels – with few rotation options – can lead to a build-up of soilborne diseases. “If you grow tomatoes after tomatoes, year after year, that will lead... more »

Diverse soil life’s impact on vegetables

Healthy soil is the basis for thriving agriculture. In an Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) survey for the 2016 National Organic Research Agenda, it was determined soil health research was the top priority of farmers in... more »