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Soil Topics from the Northeast Hub Region

  • Digging into Biochar

    Biochar can be incorporated into the soil by surface spreading and tilling, no-till drill, or placed in trenches when trees are planted as was done at this farm.

    Biochar has been gaining popularity in the Northeast over the last few years as a soil amendment in crop fields and pastures, but farmers still have a lot of questions.

  • Economics of Long-term Soil Health Practices

    ARS long term study site no till farming plots

    This project is assessing the economic costs and benefits of implementing soil health practices (particularly, cover crops and no-tillage) on Northeast and North Central US agriculture. It leverages…

  • Turn the Tap: A Focus on Soil Moisture Education

    Researchers set up on-farm soil moisture monitoring with drip irrigation

    To help farmers improve their irrigation efficiency and gain greater knowledge on how to monitor soil moisture conditions, two fact sheets were crafted to give overview of soil moisture monitoring,…

  • Farming on a Saltier Coast

    Salt tolerant buffer strip of Eastern gamagrass

    A new report by NOAA provides updated predictions on the rate of sea level rise within the United States. When coupled with extreme tides and more frequent, intense storms, rising sea level is…

  • Delmarva and the Ground for Change

    opening shot to film; cover crops at harborview farms

    A documentary film about three family-owned farming operations who are leaders in practices that promote healthy soils, which also safeguard working lands from climate change extremes.

  • A Renewed Focus on Soil Carbon

    U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Virginia Cropland Agronomist Chris Lawrence holds moist healthy soil, while he talks about why healthy soil is important.

    Increasing carbon storage as soil organic matter helps to mitigate climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Organic matter is also an important part of building soil health. Additional…

  • UMES Permeable Reactive Barriers

    Gypsum curtain scene from virtual tour

    Heavy rain events are increasing across the Northeast, which can result in more nutrient leaching on farms. At UMES, researchers are studying permeable reactive barriers. Results from the research…

  • Drought Resistant Practices

    mulch with cover crops that include Austrian snow peas, vetch, small grain, and clover

    The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers cost sharing for practices that help farmers increase resilience to drought.