Soil Health & Cover Crops

If you haven’t already, it’s time to start thinking about soil health & cover crops, especially for your canning crops, corn or soybean ground.

• Armor the soil
• Reduce soil erosion
• Increase infiltration rates
• Improve water quality
• Build soil organic matter
• Keep the soil “alive”
• Reduce disease and pest problems
• Improve farm income sustainability

Proper use of cover crops and improving your soil health can positively affect your bottom line when farming in both the short term and long term. They can also improve your soils ability to absorb heavier rains, reduce runoff and erosion, and improve water quality. Some good information can be found at the following links:

Five Questions Non-Operator Landowners Should Ask Their Farmers about Soil Health

or

Click here for more on Soil Health

or contact the SWCD office 507-523-2171 ext. 3