Nebraska Builds Stronger Soil Systems

By Scout Nelson

Nebraska’s soil health movement continues to grow through strong education and outreach efforts delivered over the past two years. Led by the UNL Soil Health Team, these efforts focus on expanding practical soil health knowledge and supporting long term agricultural resilience.

With leadership from Carolina Córdova PhD and Katja Koehler Cole PhD and support from extension educators statewide, the team delivers ten major educational events. These include five soil health conferences for three field days, and two soil health assessment trainings held in multiple regions across Nebraska. The work is supported through partnerships with the Nebraska Soybean Board, SARE, and Nebraska Extension.

More than seven hundred participants take part in these programs including growers consultants agency staff students and ranchers. Together these participants influence management decisions on more than twelve million acres statewide. Survey results show strong momentum with seventy-five percent of producers planning to expand or modify soil health practices such as cover crops reduced tillage and crop livestock integration.

Participants value the hands-on format and the opportunity to learn directly from peers and experts. One participant noted “The more growth the better I appreciated the built in time to the program for networking experiences from other growers and carbon intensity scoring were highlights.” Another shared “I have learned that cover crops are a good thing and should be incorporated into our routine Building and retaining topsoil it’s essential for the future of my farm.”

Across events participants consistently rate programming as one of the best educational opportunities available. Many estimate the value of new knowledge at ten to twenty-five dollars per acre with some reporting even higher benefits. Feedback highlights the strong mix of speaker's interactive field activities and practical tools.

Looking ahead, producers request more hands-on learning producer led panels and research focused on central and western Nebraska. Continued collaboration ensures soil health innovation remains strong for current and future generations.

Photo Credit: gettyimages-casarsaguru