As more and more farms find different ways to utilize their land, one Minnesota farm is using soil health practices to help them out. Connor McCormick, who farms just outside of Caledonia along with his dad Kevin, said their first time using a cover crop – cereal rye – turned out pretty good. Read more in this article from the Caledonia Argus (Houston County, MN).

In this week’s podcast, retired John Deere engineer and farm consultant Bob Recker provides insight on ways to boost soil health without taking fields out of production.

In 2019, a UN report laid out a bitter truth: The current food system is fueling the destruction of Earth’s forests — and humanity must overhaul how we grow and ship food to stop climate breakdown. But countries are struggling to keep farming sustainable while meeting the mounting demand for production — which must increase by between 25 percent and 70 percent by 2050 to feed growing populations. Read more in this article from Conservation International.

Cover crops are an investment in soil health, but what if they paid off as a cash crop as well? Researchers at the University of Minnesota are aiming for just that as they shape pennycress into a suitable food and fuel product that can fit in with the typical upper Midwest crop rotation. Read more in this article from The Courier (Waterloo, Iowa).

Soil microbes are abundant, making nutrients available to plants. There are more soil microbes in a teaspoon of soil than there are people on earth. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

Seeing earthworms is one of the hallmarks of healthy soil, but Paul Reed Hepperly says that their role is much broader than previously thought.

As soil health takes on a higher profile with food companies and consumers, various avenues are emerging for farmers to collect environmental incentives. The growing number of soil health programs can seem overwhelming, but one farmer and soil health advocate believes it’s a case of more is better. Read more in this article from Farm Talk.

Thirty-four years ago, a challenging harvest led Brian Hora, 57, to no-till farming. “It was an extremely wet fall. Heavy snow fell before we could get everything out. So, we had to finish up harvest in the spring,” explains the sixth-generation Iowa farmer. Read more in this article from the Aberdeen News.

Pennsylvania cover crop expert Steve Groff shares insights on how growers use cover crops to retain moisture in the soil in Australia, managing soil erosion in Tasmania, observations on soil types and structure in France, and more. (Courtesy of Cover Crop Innovators)

As attention on water quality, sustainability, farm income levels, and rural quality of life grows every year, those of us who work in the soil and water conservation arena often wonder what will be required to get the majority of landowners to adopt even the most basic soil health practices. We live in the most altered landscape in the United States, we have nearly the smallest amount of forests and public lands of any state, and we have only half of the topsoil we had in the 1860s. Read more in this article from the Globe Gazette (Mason City, IA).