We use soils to provide 98.8% of our food, but the bonds between soil health and human health extend far beyond what fills our plate. The science of public health, especially epidemiology, provides a framework for capturing the links between healthy soil and a range of direct and indirect health factors and outcomes, such as economic security and community vitality. Climate change is increasing the pressure on many of these factors, highlighting the need for deeper collaborations between soil and health scientists and communicators.

Planting seedlings is an essential part of any reforestation plan but where should your seedlings come from? Concerns about survival, growth and adaptation to local growing conditions are historical considerations; however, climate change and the desire for new species in a warming climate has complicated the search for seedlings. Join us for a discussion on the considerations and approaches to sourcing and planting seedlings for your next reforestation project

Organic farmers need crop cultivars that perform well in organic production systems, and several farmer-participatory plant breeding networks are beginning to meet that need. Breeding priorities for the organic sector include disease and pest resistance, weed competitiveness, nutrient and water use efficiency, rapid emergence and establishment, overall vigor, and resilience to drought and other weather extremes as well as market traits such as flavor and nutritional value.

This Digital Café features Dr. Rob Myers, Director of the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture and also Regional Director of Extension Programs for NCR-SARE, discussed several of the key ways that cover crops can improve soil health. These factors include nutrient cycling, soil organic matter, rainfall infiltration, addressing soil compaction, aggregate stability and impacts on earthworms, mycorrhizal fungi, and other aspects of soil biology. This presentation was originally broadcast on Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

This training series is intended to provide an introduction to organic systems, including basic principles of organic production; the organic certification process; organic regulations and areas of alignment with NRCS practices; and challenges and opportunities in organic production. Attendees are encouraged to attend all three sessions. In this third session, the organic regulations are discussed along with NRCS practices that may support organic transition and organic production. This session also has some time for small group discussions and three guest speakers.

Organic farmers rely on cover crops to provide soil fertility, crop nutrition, weed suppression, and mitigation of other pest problems in a production system that excludes the use of synthetic fertilizers and crop protection chemicals. A large majority of organic producers use cover crops as a key component of their soil health management system.

This is a recording of the RIM easement title insurance training webinar session from 11/18/2020.

Elizabeth Oolman, NRCS H&H Engineer, discuss everything culverts. This session covers culvert basics, how to design a culvert using a nomograph, and how to design a culvert using HY-8.

This is a recording of the RIM Integrating Clean Water and Habitat (1W1P) easement program webinar training session from 1/25/2023. Training for this program focused on the beginning steps for preparing and submitting an application for funding.

MinnFARM is a computer model, built in Excel, used to estimate runoff potential from open feedlots. It provides a compliance indicator (a simple "yes" or "no") and an index number (higher number = more pollution). It can be used for regulatory and cost-share purposes.

The MinnFARM Online Course walks you through the processes behind MinnFARM, how it might be used, and how to practically evaluate a feedlot using the model. This course is free, self-paced, and can be started at any time.