Agriculture and the Environment
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Browsing Agriculture and the Environment by Subject "cover crops"
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Item Impacts of Soil Health Management on Environmental Quality: A Research Review for Minnesota(2022-10) Reilly, Evelyn; Cates, AnnaThis review was undertaken to summarize research on the impact of four in-field practices (cover crops, reduced tillage, perennials, and crop rotations) on nutrient losses, soil carbon, and runoff/erosion in Minnesota. Social, economic, and policy considerations, while highly relevant to agricultural decision making and design of incentives, are beyond the scope of this review. To maximize relevance of findings, this review focused on data from studies conducted in Minnesota, along with data from Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota and Illinois if applicable. Since Minnesota has unique climatic conditions, findings from meta-analyses were not included, except as background or where regional differences were noted.Item Literature Review Summary of the Influences to Soil Health Practice Adoption Behavior in the Midwest(2022-11-16) Roth, SarahIncreasing voluntary adoption of conservation practices by producers is key to reducing agricultural pollution in Minnesota’s waterways. In order to do this, we must understand producer adoption behavior including the drivers of and barriers to adoption. A literature review was conducted that was exclusive to studies in the Midwest, published since 2000, and focused on soil health practices of interest including cover crops, conservation tillage, perennials, and livestock integration. The major factors that influence producer behavior related to adoption were grouped into 5 main categories: farm characteristics, personal characteristics, perceived practice characteristics, social factors, and structural factors.Item Measuring soil health in the Upper Midwest to improve water quality(2023-07-28)The Minnesota Office for Soil Health (MOSH) collaborated with six university partners, six external partners, and 27 farmer collaborators to learn what soil health looks like in Minnesota. Soil Health Management Systems (SHMS) have been shown across the country to hold tremendous potential for simultaneously supporting water quality and agricultural productivity. However, adoption of practices that build soil health have been limited in the northern climates of the Dakotas, Minnesota, and neighboring states where cold soils and shorter growing seasons create special challenges to using cover crops and minimal tillage. To increase adoption, farmers and their advisors need to network with other farmers to work out the challenges of building SHMS, and they need more data from their region to provide relevant guidance and support research on how to measure and interpret soil health changes.