Soil Health
What is soil health?
Soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans, and connects agricultural and soil science to policy, stakeholder needs and sustainable supply-chain management. Historically, soil assessments focused on crop production, but, today, soil health also includes the role of soil in water quality, climate change and human health.
Or more easily, Healthy soil is the foundation of productive, sustainable agriculture.
Soil health has 5 basic principles.
Soil Cover/Armor
No or Limited Disturbance
Continual Living Roots
Diversity
Integrating Livestock
Soil armor is residue left on the soil surface that serves many functions such as preventing erosion from wind and water, regulating soil temperature, building soil structure, increasing soil organic matter and better managing water resources
Minimizing soil disturbance, enables the soil armor (surface plant materials/residue) to persist. Tillage systems encourage maximum release of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and leads to degraded and compacted soils. Minimal soil disturbance and leaving fibrous roots in the ground, helps aggregates to form and glomalin (sometimes called soil ‘glue’) to hold the soil together.
A continual living plant root either from the commodity crop, cover crop or forage crop provides carbon exudates to feed the soil food web, which is exchanged for nutrients for plant growth. This process is also important for soil aggregate formation, which increases soil pores for improved water and air exchange.
A diverse mix of plants is essential to maximize the carbon going into the soil to feed soil biology and make the system more robust and resilient. When we have diversity of plants on the surface, we have diversity of biology in the soil.
Plants, soils and animals evolved together, and all are essential to a properly functioning ecosystem. Livestock convert high-carbon material to low-carbon material that feeds the soil food web. Manure provides a home and food for beneficial insects that help cycle nutrients and can reduce pest issues.
Living Soil Film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntJouJhLM48
Soil Health Principles - Ray Archuleta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uMPuF5oCPA
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