![]() “Soil health, also referred to as soil quality, is defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. By managing for soil health, we can restore, conserve, and optimize these services ( What are Soils?). These components function together to provide ecosystem services that we depend on – water purification, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, food, fiber, fuel provisions and more. Soil is a diverse natural system made up of minerals, organic matter, living organisms, air, and water. Sometimes we have to feed it a little for it to feed us” Dan DeSutter, Indiana Farmer interviewed in the Living Soil Film (Soil Health Institute 2018) The use of winter cover crops, such as cereal rye, hairy vetch & triticale, may be a useful tool for improving soil conditions in situations with exposed soil and limited water. Taos SWCD, with support from NMDA’s Healthy Soil Program, is testing additional cover crop options and seeding methods to determine benefits to soil health on impaired agricultural lands. Project Background Cover cropping with oats, especially in newly seeded alfalfa fields, is a common practice locally. Results of this special soil health project will be reported in the fall of 2023. Over the next 10 months, Taos SWCD is partnering with 55 cooperators to evaluate winter cover crops as a tool for soil building. The window to participate in the 2022-23 Winter Cover Cropping Project is now closed. on the benefits of soil cover) and vital for saving precious moisture in our dry and often windy environment. Keeping the soil covered is one of the main principles of soil health ( click here for more info. May 19 – 25, 2023 PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND FIELD TOURS: Tools to Build Soil in Taos County Healthy Soil Resources for Youth & Educators.
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