What has the term soil health come to mean?
Soil health is really about how well the soil is functioning compared to how well it could function. Some of those functions include cycling water, cycling carbon, cycling nutrients, and growing crops. For example, after a heavy rain, does the water infiltrate into the soil or does it run off? If it infiltrates into the soil, then the soil is replenished with moisture so more water is available for crops when the next dry period comes along. However, if that water runs off the soil, then it is not functioning as well. Our great opportunity is that we can improve how well that soil is functioning through management.
How do you describe soil health?
Again, I describe soil health as how well a soil is functioning compared to how well it could function. It follows that we assess soil health by taking certain measurements to tell us how well it is functioning (for example, storing water).
Where do soil health and regenerative agriculture intersect?
It is widely agreed that soil health is the number one outcome of regenerative agriculture. That is why we say that soil health is the foundation for regenerative agriculture. When we improve soil health, that is exactly what we are doing – we are regenerating the soil.And because regenerative agriculture also considers effects on water quality, biodiversity, and economics, then that brings the concept of soil health even closer to regenerative agriculture because practices that improve soil health also benefit water quality, biodiversity, and economics.
How can you demonstrate what’s possible beyond status quo or current production practices? If farmers are making a decent profit and getting a decent yield they may not realize how much healthier their soil can become, because unfortunately, many of our agricultural soils are degraded. At the Soil Health Institute, we’ve established Soil Health Benchmarks to show farmers how healthy their soils are and how much healthier they could become. . That also means how much more water they could store, so now farmers can start thinking about building drought resilience, achieving more stable yields, and becoming more efficient with inputs. We’ve now done this on over 19 million acres and generated soil health reports for about 500 farmers.
What are some of the winning practices to increase soil health?
It’s pretty clear that no-tillage is one of those practices that, for decades now, has shown we can increase carbon storage in the soil, which benefits water holding capacity, aggregate stability, and other attributes. Now when you get a heavy rain, water can infiltrate more, because you get more pore space, and the roots can penetrate to pick up water and nutrients easier, and it’s less erosive. There are various forms of conservation tillage, too, that are not quite no-tillage, but that can also be beneficial.
What about cover crops?
Generally about 10% or less of farms are using cover crops. And for those focused on soil health, they are a great tool. However, this is an example where the benefit is less about the practice, but more about how well that practice is implemented. In one example, you can plant a cover crop 2 weeks before frost and terminate it early the next spring, when the cover crops is only an inch or two high. In a second example, you can seed your cover crop in between the rows of your grain, then when you harvest your grain the cover crop is already well established, is now released to sunlight, and can grow a foot or two high (or higher). In both cases, you’re checking the box that you used a cover crop practice. However, you’re having a very different benefit on soil health. So that’s why I say it is less about the ‘practice’ and more about how well that practice is actually implemented.
What do you share about a long-term view for soil health to become a focus?
Where I really feel like we need to go is to help people realize they are a soil health manager. They’re not just a corn grower, or a potato grower. They are a soil health manager. When you start to realize you are a soil health manager, then you start to challenge yourself by asking “What is this practice doing to the health of my soil?What practice can I adopt to improve soil health?” And when you start to focus on being a soil health manager, then many benefits fall into place, like building drought resilience, yield stability, profitability, reducing inputs, reducing erosion, and others.
What’s a milestone you’re proud to have achieved with the team at SHI?
The one that stands out the most is identifying an essential suite of soil health measurements, or indicators, that is widely applicable. And when I say widely applicable, we developed it by evaluating over 30 different soil health measurements across the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. So that means we evaluated each measurement across wide ranges in soil types, climates, production systems, and management practices. We found that many of the 30 were effective, but we wanted to develop a standard that everyone can use, so we then analyzed them through an additional filter to identify which ones are cost-effective, are available at any lab and not just one lab, and which measurements are not redundant with another measurement. This allowed us to boil it down to just recommending a minimal suite or essential suite of four soil health indicators, and because of the scientific rigor we used to assess those measurements, USDA-NRCS now provides financial assistance to farmers for using that essential suite in all 50 states.
What’s the business case for soil health?
Anytime we talk about improving soil health, the first question we always used to get was, “what’s the business case for doing it?” Sure, farmers and ranchers are in business, right? And so they need to know that. Our challenge was that there’s just very, very little information available from actual working farms. So we hired an ag economist early on, and in our first big economics project we interviewed 100 farmers across 9 states. We were amazed to find that 85% of them increased net income by using these soil health improving practices. We then developed state-by-state reports and held state level webinars to get this locally-relevant information into the hands of farmers to benefit them and to assist with their management decisions.
How can soil health demonstrate sustainability?
There are many forces outside of a farmer’s control – things like extreme weather, market fluctuations, and disease and insect pressures. Improving soil health can help farmers build resilience to many of these factors, making them more sustainable year after year.
What’s the vision for the SHI?
Our vision is a world where farmers and ranchers grow quality food, fiber, and fuel using soil health systems that sustain farms and rural communities, promote a stable climate and clean environment, and improve human health and well-being.
