Agricultural Outreach Program
Soil health is the name of the game!
What do we mean by soil health and soil structure? This is the very basis of soil and what supports a farmer to gain higher crop yields. Improving the local water quality is directly related to good soil health.
Good soil health needs to have these characteristics:
- Lots of dark soil means higher organic matter.
- Water can be easily absorbed into the soil.
- Water movement through the soil is at is best for the root systems.
- With a good soil structures soil is less erodible- becomes resilient.
- Food for the growing plants are more available – nutrients for crops.
When soil structure is lost, run-off and erosion increase. Erosion relocates soil nutrients away from cropland. This impacts both farmers and the water quality of our watersheds and Lake Huron.
We have had various programs that provide infield farmer to farmer workshops. Coffee, Crops and Donuts was a good example of a program we offered. This allowed farmers to share experiences about agricultural practices like cover crop demonstrations. They provided an excellent opportunity to learn and explore. These free sessions depend on funding and staffing.
What does SVCA do to support soil health?
Agricultural conservation programs |
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Coffee, Crops and Donuts |
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Water infiltration and compaction recovery research |
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Soil health education (Getting students involved) |
Through various educational learning opportunities, we encourage the participation and involvement of youth. We help them understand agriculture. They also learn how conservation efforts can improve farming and the environment! |
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