Improving Soil Health to Increase Farm Profitability

The health of a soil considers its physical, chemical, and biological quality. From a physical point of view, we are looking for well-structured soil without compaction, and with an adequate surface drainage. On the chemical side, we want a good relative pH and the necessary nutrients for our plants to grow well. For the biological aspect, we aim to have a soil full of life with a good quantity of organic matter. 

There are several practices that can improve soil health. Good crop rotation and liming are probably among the most important. We could compare soils to solar panels: we want to capture as much energy as possible from the plants so that, in return, they give us a product to harvest and/or organic matter to feed the soil. When we see bare soil or empty corn rows, we should see it as an opportunity, and consider the use of a cover crop. In addition to providing organic matter, cover crops also improve soil structure, surface drainage, bearing capacity, and fertility. Of course, we must not forget that perennial forages also have a huge positive impact on soil health, since they are present year-round and capture a maximum of energy from the sun (Figure 1). In return, they not only give us yield, but also an impressive number of roots that feed the soil.