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Soil Health Training Toolkit

Soil health workshop attendees standing in cover crop demo plots that had been roller crimped

In 2023, the Northwest Arkansas (NWA) Specialty Crop Soil Health Program was launched to support specialty crop growers in Benton, Washington, Carroll, and Madison counties by improving soil health through targeted education and training. Supported by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, the program aimed to boost productivity and profitability by helping growers understand and enhance the health of their soils. Participants received free comprehensive soil health testing and attended a series of four in-person trainings that featured practical demonstrations on cover crops, soil fertility, pollinator habitats, and irrigation management.

This training series laid the groundwork for the development of the Soil Health Training Toolkit, a resource created to assist Extension agents and agricultural educators in delivering similar workshops in their own regions. The toolkit includes factsheets, demonstration videos, and curated supplemental materials compiled during the 2023 program to support ongoing soil health outreach and education.

 

What's Included:

This toolkit is divided into four sections, each with resources, presentations, and hands-on demonstration ideas:

Cover crop grass growing inside of a high tunnel

Topics Covered:

  • What is soil health and why it matters
  • Key soil properties
  • Principles of soil health: minimize disturbance, maximize cover/density
  • Consequences of soil degradation

Field Demonstrations:

  • Impacts of Tillage Using a Rainfall Simulator
  • How to Collect a Soil Sample

Resources:

Aerial view of cover crop plots

Topics:

  • Compost basics and application strategies
  • Benefits of organic inputs for soil microbes and fertility
  • Fertilizer types and considerations
  • Managing tillage and integrating cover crops
  • Compost in high tunnel systems

Field Demonstrations:

  • Compost source comparison
  • Cover crop species/mix comparison
  • Cover crop termination methods

Resources:

Growers evaluating cover crop in field

Topics:

  • Weed suppression using cover crops, mulches, and crop rotation
  • Soil moisture monitoring
  • Reduced tillage and erosion prevention
  • NRCS support programs and funding

Field Demonstrations:

  • Mulch comparison demo (Organix AG, Bio360, straw, compost, plastic)
  • Installling and reading soil moisture sensors

Resources:

Monarch butterly on swamp milkweed flower

Topics:

  • Pollinator-friendly cover cropping and reduced tillage
  • Soil biology and beneficial insect habitat
  • Dual-benefit practices (cover crops, mulches, compost)

Field Demonstrations:

  • Pollinator habitat comparison

Resources:

 

Download Toolkit Here

 

 

Logo for the Northwest Arkansas Soil Health Program for Specialty Crops

The following toolkit was produced from the NWA Specialty Crop Soil Health Program with support by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation.

 

 

 

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