soil health Articles
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The importance of soil health
Though it is the foundation of life, soil constitutes only a thin layer of material on the surface of our planet. It provides the necessary weathered minerals, organic materials, air, and water, which are the most precious resources for all living creatures. Plants find life in soil, as it provides a rooting medium and nutrient source for plants to grow. Through healthy plants, ...
By SOILCARES
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Sustainable Soil Health
“A Nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt. We have learned some harsh lessons about how to treat our soil. While most of us are aware of the problems of the past, some agricultural operations in the world are not heeding those lessons. We all know that healthy soil is essential to feed the ever-increasing population of the world. However, ...
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Evaluation of the efficiency of a phytostabilization process with biological indicators of soil health
Received for publication January 7, 2009. A phytostabilization process that combined the addition of a synthetic (Calcinit + urea + PK14% + calcium carbonate) or organic (cow slurry) amendment with Lolium perenne L. growth was used to remediate a mine soil moderately contaminated with Zn, Pb, and Cd. The reduced toxicity caused by both amendments allowed the establishment of a healthy L. perenne ...
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NUE Explained: What is a Nutrient Use Efficiency score?
Are you making the most of your soil? Understanding your NUE score is pivotal to understanding not just nitrogen use efficiency, but also your soil’s overall potential. Effectively and efficiently managing inputs is one of the best ways growers can lower operating costs, maintain yield and reduce waste, but with so many factors impacting the production of each bushel, it can ...
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Crop rotation and soil health
They go together like salt and pepper – they’re better together When you have a strong and varied crop rotation, it produces a greater diversity in the soil microbiome, which improves activity both above and below the surface. One of the most critical parts about a healthy crop rotation is bacteria – both good and bad – because when you change crops, you change pathogens. ...
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How a new way of thinking about soil sparked a national movement in agriculture
For three weeks every month, Ray Archuleta captivates audiences with a few handfuls of soil. He begins with two clumps, dropping them into water. The soil from a farm where the soil isn’t tilled holds together, while the tilled soil immediately disperses, indicating poor soil structure. Next, volunteers from the audience — mostly farmers and ranchers — pour water over a soil ...
By Ensia
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Monitoring Soil Health with Advanced Soil Sensor Systems
Introduction: Soil health plays a crucial role in agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability. Monitoring soil health is essential for farmers to make informed decisions about crop management practices, fertilizer application, and irrigation strategies. In recent years, advanced soil sensor systems have revolutionized the way we monitor and assess soil health parameters. This ...
By JXCT
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Unearthing a sustainable soil health strategy
Most farmers can agree that although there’s no silver bullet to a bumper crop, healthy soil plays a crucial role, from seeding to harvest and beyond. But how much is understood about what really happens beneath the surface of the field? “Well-functioning soil will retain, provide and recycle nutrients and water, and will support a diverse array of biota in the soil-plant ...
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Sound Advice: Increasing Nutrient Availability and Uptake
Sales agronomists Zach Carlson and Sarah Taylor discuss the relationship between soil microbes and soil health, and how this relationship impacts the bioavailability of the nutrients plants need. The presence of soil microbes makes a functional soil, holding and releasing nutrients that plants require. Proper levels of these microbes reduces plant stress and increases the bioavailability ...
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From the Executive Director: Community, Respect for Nature Crucial to Successful Farming, Author Says
What book is on your nightstand? I just started “Wildly Successful Farming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land Ethic,” by Brian DeVore, who was the guest speaker as SFA Central Chapter held its annual meeting this past Saturday in Little Falls. At the meeting, Brian shared snippets featuring area farmers who prioritize soil health and sustainable farming practices. You may ...
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Sound Advice: Meeting Corn`s Nutrient Demands
In this edition of Sound Advice, Will Llewellyn, Sales Agronomist, shares his insights on how growers can meet corn’s nutrient demand all season long. Early in the crop’s life, nutrient needs increase slowly, until corn reaches the V10 to V14 window of peak nutrient demand. By the end of that window, much of the fertilizer applied since last fall has run its course. Fertilizer ...
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High End Golf Course on Site Composting
The Broken Sound Golf Course in Boca Raton, FL uses Managed Organic Recycling, Inc. Compost Covers to speed up the composting curing phase and reduce odors, vectors (animals and insects), and produce quality soil amendment for use on the greens. Compost increases soil health and water retention at the same time reducing costs for chemical fertilizers and green watering. With Managed Organic ...
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Are you maxing out? Applying the Law of the Maximum gets the most from your fertility investment dollars
Avoid excess crop nutrients in your fertilizer strategy to maintain soil health and protect your pocketbook The push to produce higher yields per acre every year continues to weigh heavily on western Canadian farmers. That pressure is accompanied by economic and environmental concerns. Should you invest more money into crop nutrients to reach record yields? Will that investment pay off? Will ...
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Stockwell on Soil: Logic On Side of Cover Crops & No-Till
While reading this article I noticed #6 in the list includes cover crops and no till. We often talk about the very same benefits discussed in number six, but the important lesson here is the frame. First, the opening or introductory message is NOT about cover crops or soil health. As much as we all love to delve into those topics, the majority of producers do not (I know, hard to believe, but ...
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Food and Green Waste Composting at Luxury Golf Course
The Broken Sound Golf Course in Boca Raton, FL uses Managed Organic Recycling, Inc. Compost Covers to speed up the composting curing phase and reduce odors, vectors (aminals and insects), and produce quality soil amendment for use on the greens. Compost increases soil health and water retention at the same time reducing costs for chemical fertilizers and green watering. With Managed Organic ...
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10 Regenerative Agriculture Practices Every Grower Should Follow
Worrying about bad crops due to poor soil should be a thing of the past. Modern farming that uses regenerative agriculture techniques have found greater success through 10 simple, but highly effective, practices. Learn about these practices, along with benefits to soils, crops, the environment, and the positive economic benefits. Reduced or No-till Farming Practices Cover Cropping Composting ...
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The Role of Soil Sensor Innovation in Modern Agriculture
Introduction: Modern agriculture is increasingly reliant on technology to improve efficiency, sustainability, and productivity. One key technological innovation that is revolutionizing the way farmers manage their land is soil sensor technology. Soil sensors provide real-time data on crucial soil parameters, enabling farmers to make informed decisions about irrigation, fertilization, and overall ...
By JXCT
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Soil CO2 Methods in the Spotlight
Solvita is a leading commercial test worldwide for soil CO2 respiration (and compost maturity) and is often in comparisons with newer soil respiration methods vying for market share. Such is the case in a recent study by Oklahoma State University which proposed a semi-automatic Gas Chromatography (GC) method for soil respiration. The team, under Jason Warren, Associate Professor and Soil ...
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The Role of Soil NPK Sensors
Agriculture is a crucial sector that provides food for the world's population. As the population continues to grow, the demand for food also increases. To meet this demand, farmers must produce more food with fewer resources. One of the ways to achieve this is by optimizing crop nutrition and maximizing yield. Soil NPK sensors have emerged as a useful tool for farmers to achieve these goals. Soil ...
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