UNLOCK THE SECRETS IN THE SOIL—A NEW CAMPAIGN FROM USDA’S NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE—PROVIDES TOOLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO IMPROVE OUR SOIL HEALTH.

As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil healthy and productive is vital.

By focusing more attention on soil health and by educating producers and the public about the positive impact healthy soils can have on productivity and conservation, we can help our Nation’s farmers and ranchers feed the world more profitably and sustainably—now and for generations to come.

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation is proud to raise awareness in support of this effort

UNLOCKING SOIL HEALTHThere are more soil microorganisms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the earth.

Millions of species and billions of organisms—bacteria, algae, microscopic insects, earthworms, beetles, ants, mites, fungi and more—represent the greatest concentration of biomass anywhere on the planet! Microbes, which make up only one half of one percent of the total soil mass, are the yeasts, algae, protozoa, bacteria, nematodes, and fungi that process organic matter into rich, dark, stable humus in the soil.

The best soil on most farms is found in the fence row.

These undisturbed remnants of what soil properties were once like is no surprise to farmers who have dug into that soil. It’s crumbly, dark, and loose, and it’s a model of soil structure and organic matter for farmers who are trying to make their soil healthier.

Tillage (or plowing) destroys the soil’s structure.

Tillage destroys “aggregation” or the soil’s structure —the habitat soil microorganisms depend upon to ensure critical soil functions like nutrient cycling. Tillage also reduces organic matter content and increases erosion, which reduces the sustainability of our food production system.

If you want your soil to be healthy, you shouldn’t see it very often.

That’s because you want that soil to be covered all the time, preferably with living plants. Keeping the soil covered all the time makes perfect sense when you realize that healthy soils are full of life. The microorganisms living in the soil need food and cover to survive —just like other living creatures.

FARMER PROFILE: MIKE ZOOK

FARMER PROFILE: DIRK O’CONNOR

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10,000 acres in Beach, North DakotaCrops: spring wheat, winter wheat, corn, grass, lentils, peas, safflowers, sunflowers and sorghumPlanting: all no-tillCovers: multi-species

7,000 acres in Plevna, MontanaCrops: Peas, sunflowers and wheatPlanting: all no-tillCovers: mixed cover crop cocktails

Diversity, intensity, and zero-disturbance. When talking about his farming operation, those are the three goals of Mike Zook in Beach, North Dakota. He started farming in 1977 and watched the wind that blows through western North Dakota lift his soils and start small dust storms, eroding the topsoil and displacing valuable nutrients.

But in 1988, he learned about the benefits of maximizing soil health. He began continuous cropping, growing as many different plants as practical, keeping the soil covered year-round, and limiting physical disturbance. Zook explains, “by diversifying the growing season, it minimizes risk.”

In order to limit physical disturbance of the soil, Zook uses a no-till drill, which uses small disks to “slice” the ground and insert the seeds, without using any tillage. “When the soil is moved, it’s exposed to the sun and wind. No-till avoids those things,” says Zook.

The summer of 2012 was one of the hottest on record in eastern Montana. Yet, despite the heat, the soil on Dirk O’Connor’s farm still held moisture, and the peas, sunflowers, and wheat still produced.

“This [no-till] system gets us through the dry, hot times,” says O’Connor, a farmer near Plevna, Mont. Nine years ago, the O’Connor farm switched to zero-till farming in order to save time, improve soil health and produce forage for their cattle.

Before the switch, the farm had issues caused by 80 years of tillage. Loss of fertility, lack of soil structure and compaction layers were causing challenges such as saline seeps, erosion, low moisture holding capacity and overall low productivity.

Now O’Connor rotates his wheat plantings with corn, sunflowers, lentils, peas, flax, cover crops and grazing. The farm is able to use one combine, one air drill, and one planter to cover all the cropland. The residue left from the crops holds the soil down and the moisture in. Since switching to no-till, O’Connor has higher yields and saves expenses. But these are just side benefits to him. “I’d like to see my kids take over land that is better than when I started,” he says.