From the field to you
Sometimes the conditions for measuring soil bulk density are conducive to the sampler penetrating too deeply into the soil. How does this affect the finished soil sample?
Sometimes the soil bulk density sample you collect isn’t perfect. In this video, Marie Johnston discusses some techniques to deal with these imperfect samples. Video length: 4 minutes.
If you’ve collected a surface sample using a slide hammer sampler, the subsequent sample at depth requires a few additional steps to do it right. Follow along as Marie Johnston demonstrates this method. Video length: 15 minutes.
This video takes you from start to finish in collecting a soil bulk density sample using the manual slide hammer method, demonstrated by Marie Johnston, soil scientist. Video length: 6 minutes.
Looking for an overview of what you’ll need on field day? Prepare for soil sampling by reviewing some essential equipment, such as the manual slide hammer. Marie Johnston, soil scientist, gives a quick overview of tools she uses to take quality soil bulk density samples.
Get ready for a down-to-earth journey with three farmers who share practical strategies for keeping your farm’s topsoil right where it belongs—on your land.
A soil "aggregate" is a clump of soil particles that form around soil organic matter. They're a key indicator of healthy soils, and three farmers discuss what aggregates mean for their on-farm soil health.
Changing farm management to use soil health practices like cover crops and no-till can be complicated. But these on-farm changes show some clear benefits for preventing erosion and improving soil for generations to come.
Feed is the biggest cost for dairy farmers. Could using cover crops and no-till improve their sustainability and provide nutritious feed for dairy cows?
Improving water quality on the dairy farm is all about keeping nutrients in the right place. Whether it's manure or fertilizer for crops, implementing cover crops, grassed waterways, and retention ponds can help. Check it out.
Improving soil health takes time, but trying agroecosystem management is a great first step. Watch Marshall McDaniel explain three tips for getting started with agroecosystem management.
The soil, crops, climate, plants, microbial, and animal life are all intertwined. Help them work together and reap the benefits of agroecosystem management on your farm.
Agroecosystem management takes the whole agricultural system into account. Watch as Marshall McDaniel describes some of the co-benefits of this holistic approach to managing a field.
Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas with 300 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. How do we measure it in the field, and what can we do to cut emissions?
The "gold standard" of soil sampling is getting physical samples from multiple spots throughout the field. But all that could be changing--watch Steven Hall explain why.
Integrated Pest management (IPM) is a strategy to manage pest and disease threats to your crops. But it could have bigger benefits—it’s also an important part of your toolkit to improve crop resilience in the face of extreme weather events and changing conditions.
Temperature, rainfall, weather, pests, disease—there are lots of circumstances that can negatively impact your crops. But seed treatments are one tool in your toolkit to improve crop resilience.
When a host plant, virulent pathogen, and favorable environment are all in the same place at the same time, diseases can pop up. And nothing is worse than losing healthy plants to disease. Luckily, there are ways you can reduce disease pressure on your crops.
Interested in finding out how much carbon is in your soil? One of the first things to tackle is taking manual soil cores.
Wayne Fredericks, a farmer in Osage, IA, adopted cover crops after many years of no-till soybean and strip-till corn. Watch as he talks through the impacts of cover crops on his farm's soil, and how cover crops and reduced tillage can be complementary practices.
Growing crops is all about making good use of solar energy. Though many farms only make use of the sun’s energy from about May through September, Wayne Fredericks maximizes his solar energy harvest with cover crops, improving his soil health in the process.
Wayne Fredericks, a farmer in Osage, IA, has been using cover crops on his farm since 2012. Here, he talks about his journey testing cover crops to help reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality.
One barrier keeping farmers from adopting cover crops is the cost. But Mitchell and Brian Hora have turned their cover crop into an additional cash crop by harvesting mature standing rye over a growing soybean crop.
