Getting Started With Soil Health

CONNECTING FARMERS TO SOIL HEALTH

Hello, Friends.

Today we wanted to touch on some easy to implement practices to get you started on your soil health path. We also highly encourage you to become a student of what makes soil “healthy” by applying small changes on your own farm and observing from the lens of ecology. Enjoy the read.

1.

The C:N Ratio

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It is conventional wisdom in agriculture that rotations are important. However, is there an understanding of "why"? We hope to help you understand the "why" by understanding the C:N ratio.

See below for a farmer sharing his story around the importance of C:N ratio and how his fall cover crop selection was a lesson learned.

"This corn has received no synthetic nitrogen yet. Here is a great example of the importance of selecting the proper cover crop mix to suit your next cash crop. The left picture was a high C:N ratio cover crop mix predominate in cereals. The right picture is a low C:N ratio cover crop predominate in legumes. With these poorly functioning soils, cover crop selection is important. A great example of nutrient tie-up caused by poor soil health and biological imbalances. This is all from the same field and planted the same day. The drill ran out of seed when we seeded it last fall. So part of the field got the wrong cover crop mix. Mistake. Costly! Experience isn’t free! #covercrops #soilhealth

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By selecting the correct plant species in your rotation, you can take advantage of crop residue and utilize these nutrients in your system. Instead of tillage/burning to manage residue, understanding plant species & the C:N ratio can:

  • Lower synthetic fertilizer needs

  • Protect soil from erosion

  • Provide soil biology with an in-season carbon source. (food)

As we have touched on in a prior newsletter, when C:N is balanced, rapid residue breakdown occurs. We demonstrated this by seeding into a balanced C:N residue. (full season cover re-growth) Instead of this residue being a burden, we have balanced the C:N, stimulated biology & turned stored residue minerals into plant available minerals for the crop being sown (in this case, oats).

To learn more about this important ratio that rules the soil, click here

2.

“Soil Health Products”

It is common knowledge that fungicides, insecticides & excess fertilizer can be detrimental to soil biology and soil health in general. Until a biologically active soil is achieved, these products and practices are still an important piece to annual profitability in agriculture. That being said, we have identified some "soil health products" that you can implement on your farm tomorrow that can serve as bridge products to help you obtain that biologically functioning soil.

The expectation? These "soil health products" are a means to an end.

  • EcoTea vs. Seed Treatment.

  • Fall Applied vs. Spring applied vs. In crop applied Nitrogen

  • Foliar Nutrition

  • Water Soluble Phosphorus (MAP) vs. Water Insoluble Phosphorus (Crystal Green)

  • Humic/Fulvic Acid

To learn more, reach out to travis@coversandco.ca or (431) 275-3158

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3.

Cover Crops

1. FALL SEEDED ANNUAL COVER CROPS

With cash crop harvested and still favourable growing conditions, annual fall-seeded cover crops are a nice practice to implement diversity & balance C:N.

A simple blend of Oats, Peas, Mustard checks all of the diversity boxes and keeps cost low for farms experimenting with their first cover crop.

2. RELAY COVER CROPS

Due to lack of sunlight and moisture in fall, it is a good idea to try and establish a cover crop earlier in the summer. Many farms are broadcasting legumes (clover, vetch) into cereal crops after herbicide application. The goal of this practice being - the legume establishing itself slowly over the summer and propagating more rapidly once cereal crop has been harvested. This provides:

  • A balanced C:N ratio (speed up decomposition)

  • Hardier plants grow later in the fall

  • Nitrogen credit from the legume

An example of this practice would include broadcasting or incorporating red clover into wheat - as seen below.

Red Clover Relay Into Wheat

Red Clover Relay Into Wheat

3. FALL SEEDED BIENNIAL COVER CROPS

Because moisture and sunlight are more prevalent in spring than fall, planting biennial cover crops is a great way to capture these otherwise wasted resources.

To go along with the added soil health benefits (water infiltration, holding capacity, balanced C:N, living root, mineral cycling) something as simple as sowing a fall rye/hairy vetch cover crop can improve farm flexibility by giving you the options of:

1. Fall Rye/Hairy Vetch Cash Crop
2. Fall Rye Cash Crop
3. Introduction to Green Seeding

To learn more about our fall-seeded biennial blend, click here.

Fall Seeded Cover (Grain)

Fall Seeded Cover (Grain)

4.

Intercropping

As each year passes and more farms are adopting intercropping, we are gaining a better understanding of what practices and crops work best together.

Intercropping can provide:

  • An opportunity to balance C:N ratio

  • Reduced disease (less fungicide)

  • Improved profitability

In the near future, we plan on dedicating an entire blog to the advancements of intercropping. (Seeding rates, herbicide options, separation methods, etc.)

Want to learn more about intercropping in the meantime? Click here

Soybeans & Millet

Soybeans & Millet

5.

Reduce Tillage

We understand that reducing tillage is not a new idea but we wanted to touch on 2 points from our perspective as to why tillage is detrimental to soil health.

1. THE DESTRUCTION OF SOIL AGGREGATES

Soil aggregates not only allow your soil to infiltrate water but to hold it as well. A soil that has a “cottage cheese” or “chocolate cake” look is a great indicator of a healthy, fungal dominant soil.

Forming soil aggregates requires both biological and physical actions. Having a living root in the ground (carbon exchange) will allow for mycorrhizal fungi colonies to be established. Once established, they release a glue called “glomalin”. This glomalin then glues micro-aggregates, clay, silt, plant/fungal debris & particulate organic matter decomposed by saprophytic fungi together to form what is known as a “soil aggregate”.

It goes without saying, tillage is extremely harmful to this mycorrhizal network and overall soil aggregation.

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2. EROSION

To put the below wind erosion study in context, a 60 bu/acre canola crop equals 1.5 T/acre. That means, in high tillage areas, for every 1 Ib of canola produced (bumper crop) you lose 5 Ibs of topsoil.

To further put it into context, 5 tons of soil across an acre of land is equal to the thickness of a dime. While the loss of a dime’s thickness is scarcely noticeable over one year, it adds up over 5, 10, or 15 years. (see image below)

Source: Reduce Wind Erosion for Long Term Productivity: Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension, David Franzen and Abbey Wick, NDSU Extension

Source: Reduce Wind Erosion for Long Term Productivity: Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension, David Franzen and Abbey Wick, NDSU Extension

Source: Reduce Wind Erosion for Long Term Productivity: Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension, David Franzen and Abbey Wick, NDSU Extension

Source: Reduce Wind Erosion for Long Term Productivity: Jodi DeJong-Hughes, UMN Extension, David Franzen and Abbey Wick, NDSU Extension

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"There is no soil amendment that will fix your soil. Only your understanding of how the soil functions will fix what ails your soil. You must become a student of what makes soil healthy. It’s that simple and there are no shortcuts.”

Jon Stika. A Soil Owners Manual



Thanks again for reading. These blogs seem to be gaining popularity and we are humbled that people are finding our observations and assessments of value.

With Gratitude,

Covers & Co. Team

Joseph Gardiner, Travis Avery, Mark Fallis, Owen Taylor

Covers & Co.