Soil Health Video

Soil Health Video

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
The Soil Health Partnership encourages farmers to reflect on steps they can take to make their land healthier. The Soil Health Partnership or SHP stresses the importance of soil as one of our most vital resources. Listen to the words from a video that they produced. "Growing food, fuel and fiber today is a high tech endeavor. Technologies like GPS make farming incredibly precise, reducing waste and increasing yields. But, the next frontier in agriculture will not take place above ground. The next frontier is beneath your feet... Soil. There is a growing movement to enhance the ecosystem of soils on the farm. Healthier soils can provide abundant food, improve air and water quality and boost farm income. The problem is, degraded soil cannot hold as much fertilizer for the plants, leading to leach off the farm more easily. But farmers can come to the rescue and restore balance to the earth. By changing some practices, farmers hold the power to rebuild organic matter in their soil. This helps the planet by improving crops and removing excess carbon from the atmosphere. Crops take carbon from the air to grow their leaves, stems and roots. When plants die, the carbon from their roots stays in the soil. This residue becomes organic matter. It then feeds organisms that keep the soil healthy. Morgan I can matter in the soil means better soils for farming, protecting crops and the environment.

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