Organic Matter

Authors: Sarah Hirsh

Soil health is the status of soil in terms of its ability to function and sustain life. It involves physical, chemical, and biological factors that are all interrelated. Soil organisms are critical for building good soil structure, ensuring air and water movements through the soil, decomposing organic materials, and cycling nutrients. A soil with good physical structure and with sufficient nutrient cycling will encourage increased numbers and diversity of soil organisms. When we manage soil with practices that minimize disturbance, maximize soil cover, maximize biodiversity, and maximize the presence of living roots, we can increase soil health, increasing the sustainability and profitability of agriculture. Author: Sarah Hirsh; Title: Soil Health (FS-2025-0754).

Authors: Sarah Hirsh - Haley Sater - Dwayne Joseph

Cover crop planning according to cover crop purpose, cover crop window within cash crops, and realistic expectations can greatly increase the benefits that cover crops provide, making the overall farming system more productive, sustainable, and profitable. Author: Sarah Hirsh, Ph.D., Haley Sater, Ph.D, and Dwayne Joseph, Ph.D.; Title: Cover Crop Planning (FS-2024-0743).

Authors: Jarrod Miller

Soil organic matter is an essential component of soils. It must be added and maintained, and the soil type as well as the organic material being added are very important. Fact Sheet 1045 examines how soil organic matter can be managed in agricultural production.