American Farmland Trust, as part of a renewed commitment to combat climate change brought on Jennifer Moore-Kucera, a soil health expert at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, as director of AFT’s climate initiative.
The NYS Department of Ag & Markets and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation announced nearly $300,000 for the Eastern Finger Lakes Cover Crop Initiative to help farmers use cover crops to reduce erosion and protect water quality in and around Cayuga, Owasco, Skaneateles and Otisco Lakes. New York State Soil and Water Conservation Districts will work with farms in Seneca, Tompkins, Cayuga, Onondaga and Cortland counties to implement these projects.
A backgrounder on soil in the Hudson Valley.
Recent soil health headlines you may have missed.
The Soil Health Institute has just released Living Soil, a 60-minute documentary about soil health that showcases innovative farmers and soil health experts from throughout the United States.
“Cover crops are sort of the gateway drug to get people in to regenerative agriculture,” says Jonathan Lundgren, Director/CEO of Blue Dasher Farm in South Dakota.
If you’d like to try no-till, check out these tips from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Food waste contains valuable nutrients that can make soil healthier and more productive. Researchers at Colorado State University working with Leprino Foods, a global supplier of dairy products, are exploring the potential for transforming lactose – the natural sugar in milk – into a resource that can enhance agricultural sustainability.
Green America has launched a two-year campaign to educate people on the benefits of regenerative agriculture through its Climate Victory Gardens campaign.
A new satellite mapping tool, called Operational Tillage Information System (OpTIS), that tracks trends in adoption of soil health practices has been developed by New Hampshire-based Applied GeoSolutions.