HEALTHY SOILS

Soil Health

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Soil is the engine for growing food. Building and maintaining healthy, productive soil is one the highest priorities for all farmers, ranchers, and growers. The protection of precious topsoil is critical for sustainability – healthy agricultural soils can even capture carbon, helping to fight climate change. To naturally build one inch of topsoil takes hundreds of years, but it can be washed away by a rain storm in a matter of minutes.

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Soil Conservation

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Many farmers use practices including no-till and cover cropping to prevent erosion and nutrient run-off, conserve water, and protect the health of their soil over the long-run. No-till is a way of growing crops without disturbing the topsoil through tillage. This provides a protective layer of mulch that prevents water evaporation. The protective cover of mulch reduces weed and insect pressure, often lowering costs for products such as herbicides. Protected, moisture-rich soils build nutrients every year, creating strong yields and helping build a sustainable food system.