Five Principles of Soil Health

  • Minimize Disturbance

  • Soil Armour

  • Maximize Presence of Living Roots

  • Plant Diversity

  • Livestock Integration

Close-up image of soil

Minimize Disturbance

Reduced till/no-till can aid in plant growth, reduce soil erosion, and provide important wildlife habitat. It also improves soil stability and reduces soil erosion

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Field of green grasses and cover crops with a bright blue sky

Soil Armour

Keeping soil covered with cover crops, annual crops, crop residues, and perennial crops protects soil from wind and water erosion. It allows for an environment that sustains and nourishes plants, soil microbes, and beneficial insects and pollinators.

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A close up image of the bottom of many green plants and their white roots under dark brown soil

Maximize Presence of Living Roots

Living roots provide the easiest source of food for soil microbes, feeding the soil food web. Living roots present in the soil allow for land stability, protection against soil compaction, nutrient cycling within the soil, and erosion control.

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Field of green grasses and wildflowers. Flower are yellow, red, and white.

Plant Diversity

Diversity above ground improves diversity within the soil, which creates healthy productive soils. Planting a variety of species is necessary to improve biodiversity. Lack of biodiversity limits soil potential and increases disease and pest problems. Biodiversity is vital to healthy soil, meaning it is vital to successful agriculture and ecosystems.

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Green field of grass with five black and white cows grazing. There is a fence behind them, and in the distance there is a house and more fields.

Livestock Integration

Livestock grazing can increase soil organic matter which improves soil fertility and creates a nutrient-rich environment. Livestock grazing also reduces crop and cover crop waste, can help prepare soil for crops with grazing cover crops, removes weeds, and reduces pests.

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