The National Organic Standards require certified organic producers to implement tillage and cultivation practices that “maintain or improve the physical, chemical, and biological condition of soil and minimize soil erosion.” While continuous no-till may be impractical for organic production of annual vegetable or field crops, innovative farmers and researchers have developed many tools and strategies to reduce tillage intensity and to minimize the adverse soil impacts of field operations in organic systems.

Extension educator Brad Carlson discusses split-applying nitrogen for corn and offers 3 tips for sidedress applications.

In this Tech Talk Jeff Duchene, NRCS State Grazing Specialist, provides an overview of the Livestock Forage Balance Sheet available in Section IV of the eFOTG under the CPS 528 Prescribed Grazing Conservation Practice Standard. Jeff discusses how to develop the livestock and forage inventory portions of the forage balance worksheet. Jeff also reviews the equations used to develop the livestock/forage balance and how to use those calculations in the field.

Jeff Kalin, NRCS Wildlife Biologist, and Karin Jokela, Xerces Society Pollinator Planner and Partner Biologist, for an overview the new Wildlife Habitat Planting practice (CPS 420). In this session, we will discuss:

• The rationale for a wildlife specific conservation practice standard
• Key differences between Wildlife Habitat Planting (420) and Conservation Cover (327)
• Wildlife WHEGs
• Selecting the appropriate scenario
• Implementation requirements
• Plant selection to support wildlife

This Tech Talk highlights the economic and social implications of soil loss. From a farm level economic perspective, soil is an important input in agriculture production and productivity. Loss of soil is not only a concern for agriculture producers, as the movement of soil off of fields has downstream effects. In this session, participants will become familiar with the current approaches used to evaluate economic value of soil loss.  Additionally, they will become familiar with the evidence surrounding the costs and benefits of conservation practices that reduce soil loss.

Farmers must manage water resources to provide sufficient yet not excessive moisture to their crops, and to protect surface and groundwater from nutrients and other contaminants. While the soil’s capacity to hold and provide moisture to crops is determined in part by soil texture and other inherent properties, organic soil health management practices can improve soil water relations, expand water holding capacity, and enhance crop resilience to drought and flood, which have become more intense as a result of climate change.

Charlie Johnson explains how he controls weeds in corn and soybean crops without the use of pesticides on his organic farm in Madison, S.D. Johnson relies largely on a six-year crop rotation and cultivation tools to control weeds while maintaining good soil health. Johnson illustrates how a custom rotation leverages diversity to manage weeds. 1,600 acres of corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa are divided into six equal portions. Oats are planted as a nurse crop, followed by two years of alfalfa hay. Row crops follow, with a year of soybeans followed by corn and then a final year of soybeans.

Charlie Johnson shares how he and his family control weeds on 1,600 acres of organic corn and soybeans in Madison S.D using ecological strategies to control weeds without herbicides. Johnson explains how late planting, patience, diversity and a six year crop rotation all play a role in managing weeds on his farm. “There is no such thing as a weed-free organic field, and there’s no such thing as a weed-free farm,” says Johnson.

We use soils to provide 98.8% of our food, but the bonds between soil health and human health extend far beyond what fills our plate. The science of public health, especially epidemiology, provides a framework for capturing the links between healthy soil and a range of direct and indirect health factors and outcomes, such as economic security and community vitality. Climate change is increasing the pressure on many of these factors, highlighting the need for deeper collaborations between soil and health scientists and communicators.

Planting seedlings is an essential part of any reforestation plan but where should your seedlings come from? Concerns about survival, growth and adaptation to local growing conditions are historical considerations; however, climate change and the desire for new species in a warming climate has complicated the search for seedlings. Join us for a discussion on the considerations and approaches to sourcing and planting seedlings for your next reforestation project