On-Farm Assessment of Soil Quality and Health

2015 ◽  
pp. 83-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne Sarrantonio ◽  
John W. Doran ◽  
Mark A. Liebig ◽  
Jonathan J. Halvorson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
On Farm

An online decision support tool to evaluate ecological weed management strategies

Weed Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 463-473
Author(s):  
Douglas Bessette ◽  
Robyn Wilson ◽  
Christian Beaudrie ◽  
Clayton Schroeder
Keyword(s):  
Decision Support ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Decision Support Tool ◽  
The United States ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Organic Farmers ◽  
Ecological Weed Management ◽  
On Farm

AbstractWeeds remain the most commonly cited concern of organic farmers. Without the benefit of synthetic herbicides, organic farmers must rely on a host of ecological weed management (EWM) practices to control weeds. Despite EWM’s ability to improve soil quality, the perceived rate of integrated EWM strategy adoption remains low. This low adoption is likely a result of the complexity in designing and evaluating EWM strategies, the tendency for outreach to focus on the risks of EWM strategies rather than their benefits, and a lack of quantitative measures linking the performance of EWM strategies to farmers’ on-farm objectives and practices. Here we report on the development and deployment of an easy-to-use online decision support tool (DST) that aids organic farmers in identifying their on-farm objectives, characterizing the performance of their practices, and evaluating EWM strategies recommended by an expert advisory panel. Informed by the principles of structured decision making, the DST uses multiple choice tasks to help farmers evaluate the short- and long-term trade-offs of EWM strategies, while also focusing their attention on their most important objectives. We then invited organic farmers across the United States, in particular those whose email addresses were registered on the USDA’s Organic Research Integrity Database, to engage the DST online. Results show considerable movement in participants’ (n = 45) preferences from practices focused on reducing weeding costs and labor in the short term to EWM strategies focused on improving soil quality in the long term. Indeed, nearly half of those farmers (48%) who initially ranked a strategy composed of their current practices highest ultimately preferred a better-performing EWM strategy focused on eliminating the weed seedbank over 5 yr.

On-Farm Tests Indicate Effects of Long-Term Tillage Systems on Soil Quality

2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 61-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Seybold ◽  
M. D. Hubbs ◽  
D. D. Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
On Farm

Soil quality: Evaluation of on-farm assessments in relation to analytical index

2020 ◽  
Vol 198 ◽  
pp. 104565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Pereira Valani ◽  
Fabiane Machado Vezzani ◽  
Karina Maria Vieira Cavalieri-Polizeli
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Quality Evaluation ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Analytical Index

scholarly journals Productivity and Topsoil Quality of Young and Old Permanent Grassland: An On-Farm Comparison

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2600
Author(s):  
Goaitske Iepema ◽  
Joachim G. C. Deru ◽  
Jaap Bloem ◽  
Nyncke Hoekstra ◽  
Ron de Goede ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Phleum Pratense ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Grassland Soil ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Permanent Grassland ◽  
The North ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Potentially Mineralizable N ◽  
On Farm

Renewing agricultural grasslands for improved yields and forage quality generally involves eliminating standing vegetation with herbicides, ploughing and reseeding. However, grassland renewal may negatively affect soil quality and related ecosystem services. On clay soil in the north of the Netherlands, we measured grass productivity and soil chemical parameters of ‘young’ (5–15 years since last grassland renewal) and ‘old’ (>20 years since last grassland renewal) permanent grasslands, located as pairs at 10 different dairy farms. We found no significant difference with old permanent grassland in herbage dry matter yield and fertilizer nitrogen (N) response, whereas herbage N yield was lower in young permanent grassland. Moreover, the young grassland soil contained less soil organic matter (SOM), soil organic carbon (C) and soil organic N compared to the old grassland soil. Grass productivity was positively correlated with SOM and related parameters such as soil organic C, soil organic N and potentially mineralizable N. We conclude that on clay soils with 70% desirable grasses (i.e., Lolium perenne and Phleum pratense) or more, the presumed yield benefit of grassland renewal is offset by a loss of soil quality (SOM and N-total). The current practice of renewing grassland after 10 years without considering the botanical composition, is counter-productive and not sustainable.

scholarly journals On-farm Assessments of Pasture Rejuvenation Methods on Soil Quality Indicators in Northern Alberta (Canada)

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akim Omokanye ◽  
Calvin Yoder ◽  
Lekshmi Sreekumar ◽  
Liisa Vihvelin ◽  
Monika Benoit
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
Infiltration Rate ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Manure Application ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Northern Alberta

The study was aimed at providing livestock producers with options on practical methods to improve soil quality of pastures for improved forage production and livestock carrying capacity. The study was carried out on-farm from 2015 to 2017 at two sites in northern Alberta, Canada. The methods of rejuvenation (treatments) evaluated were: sub-soiling, break & re-seed (pasture renewal), a combination of manure application plus subsoiling, pasture rest, inorganic fertilizer application, high stock density grazing and bale grazing. A check/control treatment was included for comparison. For break & re-seed, the forage mixture seeded (16.8 kg ha-1) consisted of 60% grasses and 40% legumes. Overall, bale grazing improved soil organic matter (SOM) by up to 3.80% over other methods including check. In terms of soil compaction penetration resistance, water infiltration rate, water content and nutrients particularly N, P and K, bale grazing system as a method of rejuvenating old pastures significantly showed higher values than check at both sites. Without having to break and re-seed old pastures, the first option that livestock producers would have success with in improving soil quality for better pasture productivity would be bale grazing. The next two methods or rejuvenation strategies with great potential for improving soil conditions for pastures would be a combination of manure application plus subsoil in fall and high stock density grazing. 

On-Farm Assessments of Soil Quality in Ohio and Michigan

2016 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 1020-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toru Nakajima ◽  
Raj K. Shrestha ◽  
Rattan Lal
Keyword(s):  
Soil Quality ◽  
On Farm
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