Research conducted in Minnesota over the past two years points to many beneficial aspects of grazing sheep at ground-mounted solar projects. Research partners MNL, Temple University, Enel and NREL have collected data in the past from the Aurora project which highlights potential benefits in soil health, water quality, stormwater control and pollinator habitat creation. Read more in this article from Solar Power World.

As more is learned about the complexities of the soils serving as the basis for our civilization, it is becoming apparent to many that agricultural management practices need to change. Les Siler, a farmer from Fulton County, said farmers need to be intentional to improve the quality and health of their soil. Read more in this article from Ohio's Country Journal.

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features Salvador Ramirez, Doctor of Plant Health and Postdoctoral Research Associate with the University of Nebraska and Fernanda Krupek, Agronomy Graduate Research Assistant, also at the University of Nebraska. Ramirez and Krupek discuss how the difference between soil quality management and quality soil management, strategies for measuring soil quality, and the economics of improving soil quality.

This week’s podcast, sponsored by Yetter Equipment, features an interview with Nathan Johanning, Commercial Agriculture Educator, University of Illinois. Johanning discusses the soil health benefits provided by cover crops, challenges growers may encounter when using covers to improve soil quality, how cover crops enhance the physical and biological properties of soil, and more.

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

Planting cover crops and returning crop residues (stover) to the soil both add nutrients and improve overall soil quality. These practices are common with producers across the Midwest and have been recently studied by researchers to identify how they impact the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Dan DeSutter farms 4,500 acres in west central Indiana with his wife and three sons. Formerly a financial analyst and commodity broker, Dan uses no-till, cover crops and manure to improve soil quality while maintaining high levels of crop production. In 2013, he was selected National No-Till Innovator of the Year.

Cover crops protect soil and water quality and often provide a valuable source of livestock feed. However, not much research has been done regarding the value and viability of using cover crops for forage. A new study supported by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture evaluated the use of cover crops to get a better understanding of its forage yield and quality, cattle performance, and soil health. Find out more in this article by Michaela King with Hay & Forage Grower.