The Data on Soil Health

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

Bringing more diversity onto the farm with crop rotation and cover crops sounds nice, but is it actually achieving better results for farmers? Dr. Erin Silva says she is seeing data from the farmers she works with that answers that question with an emphatic yes. Dr. Silva is an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Silva… “ It's been truly inspiring to hear and and see from the on-farm research we've done the soil health benefits that are achieved from the adoption of these practices. And to be able to go onto the farms and see the data that farmers have collected themselves through soil tests, as well as the data that we've collected in farms that have been long-term adopters of these different systems, and hear their stories about how that has helped them in terms of being able to be better managers and being able to reduce their inputs. The data shows that indeed, you know, the integration of diversity and integration of cover crops. We do see better soil structure. We see better bulk density, we see better nutrient cycling. And to hear the farmer stories really drives me.”

Silva said the changes aren’t instant, but farmers who focus on soil health over time tend to be glad they did.