Soil is a foundational resource to farming, conservation and health in the 21st century. Soil health, also referred to as soil quality in the past, is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. Key concepts of soil health and ecological soil management include protecting soil habitat; managing more by disturbing less; keeping soil covered, diversifying food and carbon sources for soil microorganisms; diversifying plant and animal communities; and growing living roots throughout the year.
"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics." ~ Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Explore our resource library below for a collection of videos, presentations, fact sheets, books and more!
"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics." ~ Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Explore our resource library below for a collection of videos, presentations, fact sheets, books and more!
STARTER RESOURCES
Soil, Conservation & Place Video Series
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More videos in the series
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Videos
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More videos in the series
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Fact Sheets
Soil Health: What's it really about?
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Soil Health for Virginia: Stockpiling Forages and Grazing ManagementHow Virginia soils, annual precipitation, and the length of the growing season offer potential for healthy and productive grassland systems.
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Cornell University: Common Soil Constraints
Common soil constraints, contributing factors and resulting soil conditions commonly observed in the U.S.. Produced b Cornell University.
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What’s the value of soil health for nutrient management in Virginia?
Dr. Alan Franzluebbers of USDA-Agricultural Research Service research shows how reducing nitrogen rates may not reduce yields and can improve economic returns.
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More fact sheets
Books and Popular Press
SARE Building Soil for Better CropsBuilding Soils for Better Crops provides step-by-step information on soil-improving practices.
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SARE Managing Cover Crops ProfitablyHow and why cover crops work, and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into any farming operation.
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Dirt: The Erosion of CivilizationDirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are—and have long been—using up Earth's soil.
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More Books and popular press
Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to LifeA MacArthur Fellow's impassioned call to make agriculture sustainable by ditching the plow, covering the soil, and diversifying crop rotations.
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The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health From garden to gut, they show why cultivating beneficial microbiomes holds the key to transforming agriculture and medicine.
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Infographics and Presentations
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Healthy Farms from the Soil Up
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SCCC Cover Crop Selection ToolA presentation on how to use the cover crop selection tool produced by the Southern Cover Crop Council.
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more infographics and presentations
USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), an organizational partner, recently developed an interactive infographic on why soil health is so important and what can be done to build soil health? Dig into SARE's interactive infographic to learn more about production practices that can help build healthy soil. You can also explore the on-farm benefits of using cover crops, crop rotation, manure amendments, composting and more on the complex web of life below the surface of the soil.
Click on the blue and purple icons located in the farmscape, or the categories on the left, to read more about soil health concepts. The infographic and other soil health educational resources are available at: https://www.sare.org/infographics/what-is-soil-health/
Click on the blue and purple icons located in the farmscape, or the categories on the left, to read more about soil health concepts. The infographic and other soil health educational resources are available at: https://www.sare.org/infographics/what-is-soil-health/
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