www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops minimizing-tillage Ch 16. Minimizing Tillage ... the crying need is for a soil surface similar to that which we find in nature ... [and] the way to attain it is to use an implement that is incapable of burying the trash it encounters; in other words, any implement except the plow. —E.H. Faulkner, 1943 Although tillage is an ancient practice, […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops compaction Ch 15. Addressing Compaction A lasting injury is done by ploughing land too wet. —S.L. Dana, 1842 We’ve already discussed the benefits of cover crops, rotations, reduced tillage and organic matter additions for improving soil structure. However, these practices still may not prevent compacted soils unless specific steps are taken to reduce the impact of heavy loads from field […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops reducing-runoff-and-erosion Ch 14. Reducing Runoff and Erosion So long! It’s been good to know you. This dusty old dust is a gettin’ my home. And I’ve got to be drifting along. —Woody Guthrie, 1940 The dust storms that hit the Great Plains of the United States during the 1930s, centered in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and northern Texas, were responsible for one […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops making-and-using-composts Ch 13. Making and Using Composts The reason of our thus treating composts of various soils and substances, is not only to dulcify, sweeten, and free them from the noxious qualities they otherwise retain. ... [Before composting, they are] apter to ingender vermin, weeds, and fungous ... than to produce wholsome [sic] plants, fruits and roots, fit for the table. —J. […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops integrating-crops-and-livestock Ch 12. Integrating Crops and Livestock The quickest way to rebuild a poor soil is to practice dairy farming, growing forage crops, buying ... grain rich in protein, handling the manure properly, and returning it to the soil promptly. —J. L. Hills, C. H. Jones and C. Cutler, 1908 There are good reasons why farmers tend to specialize in a few […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops diversifying-cropping-systems Ch 11. Diversifying Cropping Systems ... with methods of farming in which grasses form an important part of the rotation, especially those that leave a large residue of roots and culms, the decline of the productive power is much slower than when crops like wheat, cotton, or potatoes, which leave little residue on the soil, are grown continuously. —Henry Snyder, […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops cover-crops Ch 10. Cover Crops Where no kind of manure is to be had, I think the cultivation of lupines will be found the readiest and best substitute. If they are sown about the middle of September in a poor soil, and then plowed in, they will answer as well as the best manure. —Columella, 1st century, Rome Cover crops […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops ch-9-managing-for-high-quality-soils-and-focusing-on-organic-matter-management Ch 9. Managing for High-Quality Soils and Focusing on Organic Matter Management Because organic matter is lost from the soil through decay, washing and leaching, and because large amounts are required every year for crop production, the necessity of maintaining the active organic-matter content of the soil, to say nothing of the desirability of increasing it on many depleted soils, is a difficult problem. —A.F. Gustafson, 1941 […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops soil-health-plant-health-and-pests Ch 8. Soil Health, Plant Health and Pests There are few farms in this or any country that are not capable of great improvement. —Lucius D. Davis, 1830 Soil Properties and Their Interrelationships Healthy soils occur when their biological, chemical and physical conditions are all optimal (Figure 8.1), enabling high yields of crops and other important soil functions. When this occurs, roots are […]
www.sare.org publications building-soils-for-better-crops carbon-and-nutrient-cycles-and-flows Ch 7. Carbon and Nutrient Cycles and Flows Global grain exports for corn and soybeans are dominated by the US and Brazil, while cereal crops derive from many countries. Asia, especially China, accounts for 43% of all grain imports. —Rabobank, 2016 Nutrient cycling can occur in various settings and scales: on a farm, in a grassland or forest, or even globally. But the […]