Module 3: Climate Adaptive Strategies
1. Focus on Soil Health
Soil health is the continued capacity of soil to function as a vital, living ecosystem. Healthy soil anchors vegetation to limit erosion and runoff, while cycling nutrients, filtering pollutants, reducing fertilizer needs, and sequestering carbon. For farmers, these benefits translate to more productive fields, higher yields, and greater profitability. Building and maintaining healthy soil centers on minimizing disturbance, increasing organic matter inputs, keeping ground covered, diversifying crops, maintaining active living root systems, and integrating livestock into the system.
Utilize Crop & Grazing Rotations
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Implement a crop rotation strategy to improve soil tilth and nutrition, manage disease and pest pressures, and decrease weed coverage
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Incorporate a sod-based rotation
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Adjust current rotation for a longer, more flexible plan
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Utilize regenerative grazing rotations to build soil organic matter, reduce runoff, and foster biodiversity.
Reduce Soil Disturbance
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Decrease tillage frequency and intensity
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Reduce soil compaction by decreasing vehicle use
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Plant windbreaks, hedgerows, or vegetative barriers
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Use perennial crops with sod or row strip cropping
Increase Organic Matter Inputs
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Plant cover crops to protect and stabilize soils
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Leave crop residues on the field - provide ground coverage with residues or mulch to conserve moisture, provide nutrients, and protect from erosion
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Apply manure and other organic amendments to build organic matter
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Apply manure to fields with a calibrated spreader or liquid injection to improve soil water-holding capacity while preventing over-application and runoff; avoid manure application in winter or on frozen ground whenever possible
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Manage manure storage with a gauge and sufficient freeboard in tanks to prevent runoff and contamination from overflow
Increase Organic Matter Inputs
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Test soils in fall or early spring to best design a nutrient management plan
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Establish a rotational intensity that matches the soil water storage
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Utilize nutrient cycling on-site through composting, reducing unintended losses, using local nutrient sources, or developing local relationships to balance nutrient loads on different types of farms
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Use cover crops and crop rotations to replace nutrients in the soil and prevent disease, weeds, pests, and erosion. Before switching to low- or no-till methods, build up soil nutrients with conventional methods
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If needed, add fertilizer and other amendments, being mindful of over-application and tillage needs