Southwest North Dakota Soil Health Demonstration

Southwest North Dakota Soil Health Demonstration

Summary

The Project Manager attended multiple soil health workshops and soil health field days to keep up with the improvements in soil health. He also gave soil health presentations and had informational booths at conventions and meetings. Three SARE Cover Crop Incentive producers spoke at the 2011 Southwest North Dakota (SWND) Soil Health Field Day. During the Field Day we toured the soil health plots, and also traveled to two SARE Incentive producers’ cover crop plantings.

Objectives/Performance Targets

Objective is to demonstrate how using no-till, diverse crop rotation and cover crops can improve soil health. Producers are starting to adapt these practices after coming to the SWND Soil Health Demonstration Site.
The farther along the project goes the more information we are starting to see. Soil Food Web Test was taken in 2008 and again in 2011. Each of the 8 Fields showed typically the same results. Microorganism numbers have not grown as a whole, but diversity within the organisms has increased greatly. A drop in non beneficial root feeding microorganisms was also seen. Having a living plant for more of the growing season and a rotation of different crop types have greatly improved beneficial microorganism diversity.

• SWND Soil Health Demonstration Plots
• Soil Organic Matter Percentages

Accomplishments/Milestones

Eleven producers participated in the NCR-SARE cover crop incentive program planting 340 acres of cover crops. More producers were enrolled in the program but were not able to plant cover crops after primary crop harvest. They were not able to plant because of a very wet spring and early summer.

Project Manager was contacted by multiple producers that were unable to get a cash crop planted because of wet conditions. Many have never used cover crops before but through the SWND Soil Health Demonstration had heard of the benefits of cover crops and wanted to improve soil health. Project Manager worked with those producers to help implement a cover crop mix that would work the best for their resource concerns.

Three producers from out of state have contacted the project manager. They listened to his presentation and picked up a information pap let at Western RC&D Conference and wanted to learn more about how to improve their soil health.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

• Western RC&D Conference in Lewiston Idaho with an attendance of 150 people

  Dunn County Soil Conservation Award Banquet in New Hradic North Dakota with 54 people in attendance

  4th Annual SWND Soil Health Demonstration with 32 people in attendance

  Upcoming speaking engagement “Soil Health- Importance of Organic Matter” at Diversity Direction and Dollars in Dickinson, North Dakota January 17th

  Project Manager had information booth at Western RC&D Conference in Lewiston, Idaho. In 3 days 65 people took informational pamphlets and asked the project manager about soil health.

• SWND Soil Health Demo Brochure

Collaborators: