SOIL HEALTH
Soil Health incorporates biological, chemical, and physical components that function together as one productive system. By incorporating management practices that reduce the amount of disturbance to the soil, increase the amount of residue and plant cover left on the soil's surface, integrate different plant varieties, and focus on keeping living roots within the soil, the soil's natural system will take over and beneficial organisms and processes will automatically establish. Integrating soil health into farming management practices can increase crop productivity and profitability, creating a more sustainable farming practice for the future of your farm.
4 Principles of Soil Health:
Direct Seed Cost Share
Are you interested in transitioning your operation to No-Till?
Foster Creek has cost share available to help transition up to 250 acres.
Direct seeding refers to farming systems that fertilize and plant directly into undisturbed soil in one field operation, or two separate operations of fertilizing and planting. Only narrow strips of soil are disturbed by the equipment openers used to place fertilizer and seed in the soil without full width tillage. Much of the residue from the previous crop is retained on the soil surface. The reduced soil disturbance and retention of surface crop residues with direct seed systems provides improved environmental protection while maintaining or increasing soil productivity and reducing production costs for farmers.
Additional Cost Share Opportunities
The NRCS incentivizes programs for soil health, irrigation, and terrestrial habitat. Programs apply to cropland, rangeland, and farmsteads from several different funding pools. Reach out to your local office to learn more!