Characteristics of Fields with Increasing Soil Health

We identified the fields in our 6 different crop categories which are making the most progress improving their soil health.  They are Stonebridge Farm (Vegetables, Flowers & Fruit), Olander Farms (Commodity Crops), Lehi Ranch (Commodity/Pasture rotation), Nine Mile Ranch (Pasture Grass & Hay), Longview Farm (Dryland Wheat), and Your Neighborhood Christmas Tree Farm (Home Garden).  These 6 sites share 4 characteristics which have helped them improve their soil’s health.

1. Supplemental irrigation water: 5 out of 6 of these growers (all except Dryland Wheat) have supplemental irrigation water.  More water means more varied and bigger plants, healthier roots and soil microbes, and the ability to grow fall cover crops and to water grazing livestock year-round.
2. Decreasing tillage intensity: All 6 growers decreased tillage intensity over 6 years, or maintained it at very low levels. Less tillage means more and healthier soil microbes, especially more fungi, which feed more nutrients to crops. 
3. Organic Matter Inputs: All 6 growers have added or plan to add significant amounts of organic material to their soil, through imported amendments, grazing, cover crops and crop residues.  It may not matter how you get more organic matter onto your soil, just that you get it there. 
4. Starting with soils in the “Poor” to “Good” range: None of these 6 growers started with soils that were in the “Excellent” range, where soils may have reached their carbon saturation point.  Some of our CSSHP growers who enrolled in the CSSHP with “Excellent” soils are discouraged because they aren’t seeing their soil health scores improve significantly, despite their best efforts.  It may be that their soils have reached their carbon saturation point, and now they can only build deeper “Excellent” soil, just maintain and make more of, but not improve significantly, the “Excellent” soil they already have.