Soil Health

Soil Health

Rick Worthington
Rick Worthington
For generations, good topsoil has been called "black gold." And many farmers are working to keep it that way by renewing their focus on soil health.

By protecting topsoil and promoting soil health through the use of cover crops, farmers such as Aaron Lehman are reaping the benefits.

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"Cover cropping adds nutrients to the soil, and certainly from a carbon standpoint that's important," Lehman said. "So our soil health is improving. We're able to control erosion. We're able to control weeds."

Lehman said he would like to see all states offer farmers more incentives for cover-cropping. He believes it would not only boost farm productivity, but also address water quality and, ultimately, climate change.

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"What we've seen is that our productivity on those grounds that we've used these practices is improving," he said. "And we see it not only when we compare it to other fields, but also when we do soil tests. We see the measures of soil health going up."

Farmers operate on a tight margin; and paying attention to soil health is becoming increasingly important.

Many states have passed legislation to promote soil health, or are employing other incentives to promote soil health through low-cost loans offered by state agencies.

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