SOIL HEALTH

By Tamara SommerSoil Conservationist

Mitchell, South Dakota

Pierre

Sioux Falls

Rapid CityMitchell

Shorter growing season (May 15- Nov 1), colder winter temperature

• Moisture and length of growing season are our limiting factors• Loamy soils are 6-8” deep that when tilled the silt “seals” up and infiltration is

reduced so runoff or ponding occurs, resulting in erosion or saline

• We would like to see at least a 3 crop rotation, corn-soybeans-wheat• Add a perennial crop, alfalfa or grass• Add a cover crop after wheat, would be a benefit to break up the compaction,

increase infiltration, lessen diseases, increases the organic matter, livestock forage, scavenge Nitrogen, fixate Nitrogen, nutrient cycling, spring moisture utilization, wildlife, reduces weeds, cycles residue & builds soil health

• Predominate resource concerns are soil erosion and water quality

Crop field with a no-till cropping system

Earthworm macro pores in a field with a no-till system

Wind erosion field caused by over tillage causing poor soil structure

Cover crop drilled into wheat stubble consisting of rape, radish, turnips, lentil

Educate the young

Rangeland Days

School K-6

SOILS DEMONSTRATION

Rangeland/Soil Days Saline/Sodic

Women in Blue Jeans

• Approximately 250 women from large area

• Women in Blue Jeans is presented each year by a group of dedicated volunteer women to provide education, inspiration, and networking opportunities to women of rural America

• Friday evening and Saturday

Table top Infiltration demonstration

–used at local fairs (State Fair, DakotaFest, farm shows), schools (Vo-Tech, elementary); annual soil health day; Conservation District customer appreciation days; 4-H leadership days

Rainfall simulator

Runoff vs infiltration

No-

till w

ith c

over

cro

p

Tilla

ge w

ith 3

cro

p ro

tatio

n

Nati

ve g

rass

No-

till

Conv

entio

nal ti

ll

Putting on 2” of “rain”

Infiltration kits

• In SD, these kits are given to producers so they can monitor their own land.

• Keep one in the vehicle• Crop needs to be actively

growing; ie… annual crop (corn,beans,wheat) vs perennial crop (alfalfa); hayland/pasture of (smooth brome/Kentucky bluegrass) vs native range; tilled vs no-till, etc

• 1 inch water (second inch) and time to see how long it takes to disappear.

Infiltration test on saline site

Pounding in ring Took 30 minutes and nothing happened

Took 3 minutes to infiltrate the 2nd inch.

Annual Soil health day

Usually held in February.

Ray Archuleta showing the infiltration and slake tests (clumps of different soils to see how they dissolve

in water). Slake tests across the state in “soil

health” offices.

175-275 producers from across the state

Voices of Volunteers• 80 volunteers in the state with 16 profiles on SD NRCS website; they are

Earth Team Volunteers• Many Voices have offered to host a tour at their farm/ranch, be interviewed

by the media, speak at public events (workshops, training sessions, meetings, etc.); serve as a mentor for soil health; do a radio interview (recorded or live); travel to workshops to promote soil health; and/or allow photos to be taken or provide photos of their farm/ranch for publicity.

• Grassland Coalition in SD – promotes healthy grassland• SD now has a Soil Health Coalition – started June 11; has 7 Board of

Directors• Davison County Friends of Conservation – group of producers willing to

assist District Conservationist in soil health promotions: tours on land, train new employees (students)

Voices of Volunteers

• map

Voices panel

• South Dakota State University• SDSU Extension,• Dakota Lakes Research Farm• Mitchell Technical Institute’s Farm & Ranch management program

and their Ag classes, etc.

• South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts• local Conservation Districts for soil health education and

demonstration sites.

Always willing to line up tours: during DakotaFest we had the EPA, DENR, SDACD, Congressmen reps, State Conservationist

Education provided:- Saline tours- cover crop tours (aerial, interseeding, drilling, etc.)- Barn tour (deep pit ag waste) - Conservation District board meetings – networking- Work with 319 watershed project coordinators, Pheasants Forever, US Fish and Wildlife Service, South Dakota Game Fish and Parks, Conservation Districts, Ducks Unlimited- Networking: county weed boards, bankers, equipment dealers, precision ag salesmen, seed dealers

Programs offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Services

• EQIP-Environmental Quality Incentive Program (includes WHIP-Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program)

• CSP-Conservation Stewardship Program• ACEP-Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (old Wetland Reserve

Program, Grassland Reserve Program and Farm & Ranch Land Protection Program)

• Provide technical service for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

• States have different programs and initiatives offered

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)