Campbell County Conservation District
  • Home
  • Publications
    • CCCD Budget
    • Newsletters
    • Reports & Plans
    • CCCD Board Meeting Minutes
  • Programs & Services
    • Cost Share Program
    • Educational Information
    • Rangeland
    • Recycling
    • Seedling Trees
    • Soil Health
    • Small Acreage
  • Projects
    • 4th Grade Seedling Trees
    • Black Hills Natural Resource Youth Camp
    • Deep Pot Cottonwoods
    • Forestry
    • Water Quality >
      • Upper Belle Fourche
      • Little Powder
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Partners
    • Staff/Supervisors
  • Contact

Soil Health 

​Soil Health is the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. The ground beneath us is alive and it provides the basic functions that produce food and fiber production.  Vital soil functions include nutrient cycling, water infiltration and availability, filtering and buffering, physical stability and support, and habitat for biodiversity. These vital soil functions are a result of the soil food web. Photosynthesis drives the soil food web, which is why above ground land management actions directly impact soil health and its ability function. In a bare ground environment, the soil is in starvation mode with no live root to pump carbon (sugars carbohydrates- plant exudates) into the soil system. No food means little microbial activity and low production of organic matter. Low organic matter reduces the amount of available water for the planned crop, also no cover leads to higher evaporation rates. Bare ground also increases soil temperature, making the soil less hospitable to soil benifical organisms.

 Princibles Soil Health
  • Minimize Disturbance of the soil
  • Maximize Diversity of plants in rotation / cover crops
  • Keep Living Roots in the soil as much as possible
  • Keep the soil covered at all times with plants and plant residues
  • Integrate livestock on the cropland
  • Create the most favorable habitat possible for the soil food web​
Soil Health Workshop Presentions - Marlon Winger, NRCS Soil Health Specialist ​
soil_health_basic.pdf
File Size: 5986 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

cover_crop_management.pdf
File Size: 9431 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

linking_soil_biology_to_soil_health__mw2018_.pdf
File Size: 12752 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
What are Mycorrhizae, Nematodes, Protozoa, ?
​Click here to learn more about the living organisms in your soil
Picture

Web Soil Survey
​​Use Web Soil Survey to find more information about the soils on your property. The information provided here gives a brief overview of Web Soil Survey and how to use its tools to find detailed soil information.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Publications
    • CCCD Budget
    • Newsletters
    • Reports & Plans
    • CCCD Board Meeting Minutes
  • Programs & Services
    • Cost Share Program
    • Educational Information
    • Rangeland
    • Recycling
    • Seedling Trees
    • Soil Health
    • Small Acreage
  • Projects
    • 4th Grade Seedling Trees
    • Black Hills Natural Resource Youth Camp
    • Deep Pot Cottonwoods
    • Forestry
    • Water Quality >
      • Upper Belle Fourche
      • Little Powder
  • About Us
    • History
    • Our Partners
    • Staff/Supervisors
  • Contact