Soil Health
Soil Health Resources
What is Soil Health and How Do We Get There??
Soil Health is the newest ‘buzzword’ in agriculture. But just what do we mean by soil health, why do we care, and how do we get there? Healthy soils support high yielding crop production, conserve resources, help farmers mitigate the effects of climate change, and protect our natural environment and water quality. Farmers are the first line of defense when it comes to soil health. By managing your farmland in a way that builds soil health, you not only lessen your impact on the environment, you can increase the resiliency of your business, and can create system that provides a huge benefit to your whole community and beyond. The main principles of soil health include tilling the soil as little as possible, grow as many species of plants as is practical, and keep the soil covered with intact roots. Our team is here to help farmers in the Champlain Valley navigate the new world of soil health, try new practices and measure results. If you have questions contact us at champlain.crops@uvm.edu.
Soil Health Links
Cover Crops
Cover Crop Resources
- Multispecies Decision Making Tool (PDF)
- Cover Crops as Forage Crops Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Manure and Cover Crops Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Herbicide Resistance and Rotation to Cover Crops, W. Curran, Penn State (PDF)
Cover Crop Links
- YouTube Video Presentation with Kirsten Workman
- YouTube Video from Across the Fence
- (for Vegetable Farmers, but lists cover crops generally)
- Cover Crop Page by Northwest Crop and Soils Team