The Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research at California Polytechnic State University will host its Fourth Annual Organic Field Day on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at Cal Poly’s Organic Sandbox on Highland Ave. The free event is open to the public and designed for farmers, agricultural professionals, students, and anyone interested in organic agriculture.
The Organic Field Day offers attendees hands-on access to ongoing student-led research in organic nutrient and pest management, a workshop with the Coalition for Food Safety and Sustainability, and a discussion of trap crops for flea beetles and cucumber beetles. Participants can expect guided field tours, live demonstrations, and direct conversations with Cal Poly researchers and faculty working on practical solutions for organic producers.
“The Grimm Organic Center Field Day is an opportunity to see the next generation of
agricultural innovation in action. Attendees will hear directly from Cal Poly students researching soil health and pest management while engaging with experts on practical topics, including trap cropping, food safety, and sustainability. Whether you’re a grower, advisor, student, or industry professional, you’ll leave with ideas and connections that can be applied immediately.” — Matthew Grieshop, Director of the Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research (mgriesho@calpoly.edu)
“The Grimm Organic Center Field Day is a great event with educational sessions on key topics that are critical for organic farming – organic nutrient management, organic pest and disease management, and understanding soil health. These sessions are all presented by Cal Poly students involved in conducting the research. I believe the information presented will be of interest to the whole organic farming community.” — Ramy Colfer, True Organic Products (rcolfer@true.ag)
The event follows the Strawberry Center Field Day, also held on July 23 at Cal Poly. Attendees should register for each event separately.
Registration is free and open to all. Registration and sponsorship links can be found at
Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM, immediately following the Strawberry Center Field Day.
Location: Cal Poly Organic Sandbox, Highland Ave., Cal Poly campus.
Free Event Parking: H1 Lot, Mount Bishop Rd.
Cost: Free and open to the public.
For more information, please email Matthew Grieshop, director of the Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research, at mgriesho@calpoly.edu, or visit organic.calpoly.edu/field-day-2026. — Story contributed by the Grimm Family Center for Organic Production and Research
In the summer of 1993, I visited the two small farms on the campus of UC Santa Cruz (UCSC). One of them was a flat, sunny site near the coast, the air pleasantly warm instead of blistering hot like further inland. The tour guide showed us a field in which small, round, bright-red tomatoes peeked out from brown, withered, un-staked vines. I felt appalled to see a UC growing tomatoes so incorrectly.
The tour guide then extracted some of the red globes from the brown rubble of vines and gave each of us one to try. The juicy tomato erupted with deep, complex flavor and sweetness. Feeling disloyal to the Jersey tomatoes I had enjoyed every summer growing up, I had to admit that this was the best tomato I had ever tasted. It still is 33 years later. I happily revised my opinion of the UCSC farming methods.
The tour group leader explained that the tomatoes were dry farmed, meaning that they were grown with only the water that the soil absorbed the previous winter. The tomato vines did not need staking because the dry surface of the ground was inhospitable to harmful insects and fungi.
The lack of water concentrated the flavor and sugars into a smaller volume. As researcher, Yvonne Socolar said at a recent dry farming webinar, “Dry-farmed tomatoes and grapes taste incredible, and consumers are willing to pay for that. But most dry-farmed crops don’t have a quality bump, so it is not a slam dunk for dry farming.”
Dry farming concentrates rich flavor in the tomatoes. Photo by Berkeley Food Institute
However, dry farming is getting more attention across California as growers look for ways to farm in a water-constrained environment. But what does dry farming actually involve, where does it work well and what are the tradeoffs?
The dry farm webinar, sponsored by the Berkeley Food Institute, dug into those questions. Socolar — one of two presenters — noted that the changing climate is making the water supply in California less predictable, and 16% of California’s main groundwater systems are running dry.
As in other Mediterranean climates, rain falls mainly in the cool winter season and typically not at all in the summer growing season. Dry farming of tomatoes occurs in coastal areas but potentially could work in parts of the western foothills of the Sierras. By contrast, the inland valley floors are too hot and dry.
Socolar presented a map of suitable locations for dry farming in California that she generated based on interviewing dry-farm tomato growers. The map can be seen in her research paper at Where dry farming could work in CA. Fortunately, the high priority water areas do have land suitable for dry farming.
Researcher Yvonne Socolar of Berkeley Food Institute conducted a study on dry farming. Photo by Berkeley Food Institute
How Do the Plants Survive?
Socolar explained that dry farming is inherently a diversified farming system, with cover cropping and hedgerows complementing the crop. The plants need deep roots in soil that holds moisture. Organic matter from cover crops is central for holding water and creating a conducive microbiome.
Although not widely used yet, biochar can also hold water, and it does not break down, so it might help even in years when the cover crop does not thrive. Cover crops, however, also provide nutrients. Foliar sprays also may be used to distribute micronutrients.
Eight of the 10 farmers who Socolar interviewed also rotate crops, but two do not, growing tomatoes repeatedly (10 years in a row and counting), or switching between tomatoes and fallow.
Socolar wrote in her article, “These management decisions to maintain fields as dry farmed rather than rotating irrigated crops through are particularly compelling in light of recent research on many of the same fields, showing that repeated seasons without any external irrigation result in soil microbial communities that are associated with improved dry farm tomato performance.”
Water Savings
The dry-farm methods used in California come from Greece and Spain, which have the namesake Mediterranean climate. Whereas the average water consumption for irrigated crops on typical dry-farm land is roughly 3 acre-feet per acre, most dry-farm tomato growers use between zero and ten inches of water.
Socolar estimates that nearly half of the water of the Shasta reservoir could be saved — 776 billion gallons/year — if all the potential dry farmland were dry farmed.
Built-In Pest Control
Because the surface of dry-farmed soils is dry during the growing season, weeds, pests and diseases have a harder time gaining a foothold. That lessens the need for labor. “Weed seeds need water to germinate, so they don’t emerge as easily, and fungal diseases that thrive in moisture do not have the conditions they need to take hold and spread,” Socolar described.
But Socolar cautions that not all that potential dry-farm land is ready to be dry farmed immediately. Rehabilitation with cover cropping and incorporating green manure may take years before the field reaches the level of performance needed to dry farm.
For farmers renting land, the lease term would need to be at least ten years to make the investment in soil benefits worthwhile and so the farmer can get to know the fields. The grower also needs a market willing to pay the quality premium.
Socolar notes that some farmers have also found nuts and orchard fruits to be desirable options to add to tomatoes and grapes for dry farming. “These crops have similar market appeal and quality premiums, making them economically viable,” Socolar wrote. Olives, too, being from the Mediterranean area are traditionally dry farmed, and were grown without irrigation until the 1970s. Globally, by far most olive oil crops are still dry farmed, according to Leandro Ravetti of Cobram Estate Olive Oil.
Whatever the crop, the current dry farmers are paving the way for viable options for other California farmers as the squeeze on water tightens.
Boston, MA — February 2, 2026 — Kula Bio, a sustainable nitrogen provider, today announced the commercial launch of Kula-NSPand Kula-NextSP, two shelf-stable, soluble powders that deliver efficient nitrogen-fixing bacteria directly to the root zone.
Kula Bio’s SP product line builds on the strong agronomic performance of its liquid formulations introduced in 2024, translating that success into a dry, soluble powder engineered to simplify operations, eliminate cold storage requirements, and significantly extend shelf life. With OMRI certification, Kula-NSP is approved for certified organic production, while Kula-NextSP is designed for conventional agriculture. Both products extend the proven platform established by Kula-N, Kula Bio’s flagship solution approved as a Certified Biostimulant by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), and the company plans to pursue the same certification pathway for its new dry formulations as part of its broader commitment to quality, credibility, and leadership in the biologicals space.
“This launch reflects our commitment to delivering practical, reliable solutions that are easy for farmers and distributors to adopt at scale. Our focus was on combining consistent biological performance with a product that can be stored, handled, and applied seamlessly in commercial agricultural settings without compromising quality,” said Harrison Yoon, CEO at Kula Bio. How It Works
Both products feature Xanthobacter autotrophicus, a nitrogen-fixing microbe, distinct for its ability to store its own energy. Kula Bio’s proprietary manufacturing process supercharges these microbes, providing them with a robust internal carbon reserve, enhancing their natural nitrogen‑fixing capabilities. In comparative studies, Xanthobacter autotrophicus has demonstrated up to 65% greater efficiency in nitrogen fixation compared to conventional nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Once applied to the soil, the organism actively converts atmospheric nitrogen into plant available forms directly in the root zone, ensuring a steady and targeted uptake of nitrogen.
How Kula-NSP and Kula-NextSP help Growers:
• Boost traditional nitrogen programs
Maintain nitrogen availability between fertilizer applications with a consistent supply that supports crops through critical growth stages.
• Replace a portion of synthetic nitrogen
Provide an alternative that supports compliance in regions facing strict nitrogen regulations while improving economic flexibility.
• Support Organic farmers
Deliver a reliable organic source (Kula-NSP) of sustainable nitrogen without compromising quality or yield.
• Improve Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE)
Deliver plant ready nitrogen directly to the root zone, maximizing uptake and reducing losses from leaching or volatilization.
“Growers are under pressure to produce more with fewer inputs, tighter regulations, and unpredictable markets. Kula-NextSPand Kula-NSP give them a reliable biological alternative that performs in real‑world conditions with cost competitiveness to fit their Nitrogen programs,” said Geraldo Mattioli, CCO at Kula Bio.
About Kula Bio
Kula Bio is advancing sustainable agriculture by harnessing the power of naturally occurring microbes to provide a reliable alternative to traditional nitrogen fertilizers. Through biological innovation and precision application, Kula Bio delivers environmentally responsible, efficient, and cost‑competitive nitrogen solutions for modern crop production.
Some Central Valley cherry growers grappled with little to no yields this year. Cherries are notoriously a high risk crop, but can be highly profitable when they yield well. Unfortunately, that was not the case for some Central Valley growers this year. But how could this have happened? UC Cooperative Extension Fruit & Almond Advisor Raymond Mireles met with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to explain. Watch this brief interview and read more about it in the coming issue of California Fruit & Vegetable Magazine.
Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative is pleased to announce open enrollment for the USDA’s newly expanded Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) program—building on last year’s successful Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative. This year, the program is expanding direct funding to producers, and the new incentive will reimburse producers for the purchase of up to ten acres worth of seed for any perennial conservation cover.
One choice for the incentive, Oakville bluegrass, is dormant from April through September and doesn’t compete with cash crops for water or nutrients making it ideal for California permanent crops. This low growing, drought tolerant cover crop will last over ten years when well managed, significantly reducing labor and input costs for growers.
As part of the USDA’s AMP initiative, producers can now access:
Full seed cost coverage for up to 10 acres of Oakville bluegrass
An additional $100/acre incentive for up to 100 acres.
Support in the form of a grower’s guide, educational field days, and guidance on carbon removal credits.
“We’re thrilled to put more money in producers’ hands under the Advancing Markets for Producers program, ” said Jeff Thiel, Director at Oakville Bluegrass Cooeprative. Perennial cover like Oakville bluegrass can reduce operating costs over time while also building soil health and conserving water. We’re especially excited to help producers tap into the growing carbon credit market while establishing a proven, cost-effective cover crop.”
The Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative collaboratively creates solutions to the most pressing challenges facing growers. Members work together to uncover best practices in sustainable agriculture tailored to the needs of specialty crop growers. Learnings are shared so all members can benefit from adopting practices that will ensure the long-term sustainability of profits from their farms.
California’s Central Valley is a land of agricultural abundance, known for its incredible diversity of crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts. It produces approximately 25% of the nation’s food.
But with plenty can come pests – in as many varieties and types as the crops grown in the region. Area farmers have worked with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement integrated pest management into their orchard operations with marked results.
Sandra and Mike Smith of Smith Family Farm in Fresno, California, showed NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt the benefits of the practices that they have incorporated with NRCS assistance as they toured their 36-acre almond orchard.
Established in 1903, the farm is on the cusp of welcoming its fifth generation of farmers. By adapting their operations to increase conservation and sustainability practices, the Smiths hope to pass on a rich legacy to their young granddaughters.
The Smiths highlighted the impact that integrated pest management practices – notably hormone disruptors – have had in their fight to combat navel orangeworms in their almond orchards.
“We were at 17.1% loss of our almond crop two years ago because of the infestation of navel orangeworms,” Mike Smith told Chief Bettencourt. “Once we implemented the mating disrupters, we were able to bring our almond reject numbers down to 1.1%.”
Navel orangeworms burrow into almond nuts to feed on the kernel, damaging the nut and impacting producers’ overall yield and harvest quality. Deploying pheromone-based mating disruption tools can reduce navel orangeworm populations by hindering male moths’ ability to locate females.
The Smiths have also leaned on NRCS technical assistance to implement other conservation techniques to increase the health of their orchard. The family now prioritizes composting and increasing organic matter, guided by the knowledge gained through NRCS collaboration.
Further north, Chinchiolo Farming Co., Inc., a family-run business located in Lodi, California, is managing orchards of a different kind while embracing similar production practices.
Producer James Patrick Chinchiolo has worked to uphold a century-old farming legacy, started by great grandfather Italian immigrant James Joseph Chinchiolo. Chinchiolo has worked with NRCS to incorporate a number of conservation practices including cover crops, tractor replacements, orchard removal and soil incorporation.
Like the Smiths, Chinchiolo has dealt with pest issues, incorporating a Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) approach in managing his orchards. The BIOS system aligns with NRCS principles, embracing the implementation of conservation practices like cover cropping, beneficial insect habitat, and compost application to keep pests at bay.
“We aim to foster a more ecologically balanced environment within our orchards,” Chinchiolo said during his discussion with Chief Bettencourt. “We are focusing on minimizing our inputs and creating more habitat for beneficial insects to flourish to help control unwanted pests.”
Conservation practices like cover cropping and compost application not only help pollinators flourish – a crucial part of growing beautiful cherries – they also protect the trees’ overall health, improving soil structure and water retention.
After last summer’s heat impacted this year’s cherry crop, Chinchiolo is working to take additional measures to make his trees more heat resistant in preparation for next season.
“Growing cherries is never predictable. But it’s always beautiful.” Chinchiolo said.
Helping People Help the Land
During her visit, Chief Bettencourt emphasized that the agency’s primary focus is to give producers the tools that they need to be the best producers that they can be – increasing their yield while stewarding the nation’s natural resources.
“Producers are the solution, and we want to empower them by getting our highly skilled staff out in the field to provide technical support. We want to streamline our programs to work better and faster for producers,” she said.
NRCS helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners make critical investments in their operations and local communities by helping them implement proven practices to ensure all of America’s farms, ranches and private lands are economically viable and thriving.
If you are interested learning how these programs can help you achieve your operational and land management goals, find your local USDA Service Center and get started today.
Follow the Chief through our blog series as she meets with producers across the country to learn how NRCS has helped their operations. — By Debra Denhart, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA
Minimizing soil disturbance is one of the key tenets promoted to build soil health in agricultural systems. Many farmers across the county have adopted reduced and no-till systems to build soil carbon, a central component to healthy soils. But what if you grow a crop where the part you sell is underground – like potatoes? What are some options to build soil health in those systems?
In the US, overall, the potato industry was a $4 billion industry in 2020. Americans will eat their potatoes fresh, frozen, fried, chipped, canned, dehydrated. Potato products are also used as food ingredients, like potato starch.
Potato plants blooming in a field in northwestern Washington. Researchers are looking at ways to grow potatoes with less soil disturbance, which can improve soil health. Credit: Deirdre Griffin LaHue
Potatoes are a valuable crop in Washington state and are the second leading producer of potatoes in the United States (after neighboring Idaho.) Central Washington grows Russet potatoes primarily for French fries and other processed potato products. Northwestern Washington is known for colorful, fresh-market potatoes.
The potato industry in Washington recognizes the importance of healthy soils for long-term, sustainable production of the crop. One issue with growing potatoes: they are a tuber crop, growing belowground. Thus, planting and harvesting them disturbs the soil more than a crop like wheat or barley, which are harvested aboveground. Growers and researchers are working on strategies to promote soil health in this typically high disturbance system.
Aerial image of the long-term agricultural experiment to improve soil health in northwestern Washington’s potato-based cropping systems. The research team is looking at the feasibility and benefits of using cover crops to improve soil health. Credit: Kwabena Sarpong
Through Washington’s new Soil Health Initiative, my team and collaborators recently set up a long-term rotational experiment to explore some of these strategies in potato-based systems. The strategies represent the typical rotations and soils of the area. The trial is designed with methods that use changing levels of:
soil disturbance (i.e., tillage),
organic matter inputs,
internal (cover crops and residues) and,
external (compost).
This allows us to study multiple soil health principles and how they interact with one another.
Potatoes in northwestern Washington are typically grown in a particular field every 3-5 years. Soil improvement strategies are really focused on what happens before and after the potato crop.
A three-year cover crop of a grass-clover mixture will be mowed periodically with no other disturbance. Farmers in Washington state typically grow potatoes every 3 to 5 years. Credit: Deirdre Griffin LaHue
One practice many growers are experimenting with is cover cropping. Cover crops are grown between cash crops to provide agroecosystem benefits related to 3 of the 4 main soil health principles: cover the soil, increase diversity, and maximize continuous living roots, which help feed microorganisms in the soil.
Farmers in the area are using two methods. One is winter cover crops, planted in fall and terminated in spring. The other is multi-year cover crops that are mowed and continuously provide organic carbon inputs to the soil.
Our cold, wet fall and spring seasons can be a challenge to establishing winter cover crops. This is due to harvesting potatoes through October. But having cover crops between all other rotational crops may still benefit the soil.
The multi-year cover crop likely provides more soil benefits, but farmers are then missing out on several years of growing a cash crop. Our experiment looks at both cover crop strategies and their effects on soil properties, crop yields, ecosystem benefits, and farm economics.
We are also studying potato-growing systems that reduce soil disturbance. We’re looking at whether it’s both feasible and beneficial to rotate in wheat or barley planted with no-till seeders. Minimizing soil disturbance between potato crops could improve soil health and future potato yields.
Ultimately, we need to take a systems approach to improving soil health with potatoes and with any crop. It is not just about one crop. It’s about how the whole cropping system is managed over time. By finding those intervention points to introduce a soil-building practice, we can steadily improve soil health even with underground crops. — By Deirdre Griffin-LaHue, Washington State University (Soils Matter, Get the Scoop)
The Soil Health Partnership (SHP) has been fostering transformation in agriculture through improved soil health since 2014. This year, SHP celebrates its fifth anniversary and the foundational collaborations that developed the program.
“We are proud of the collaboration led to SHP’s establishment. That collaboration has continued to grow and evolve with many partners, bringing dynamic perspectives to the table. We would not be where we are today without our founding partners sharing the vision, then seeing it through,” said SHP Executive Director Dr. Shefali Mehta.
“Engaging with pragmatic, goal-focused groups like the Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy, and bringing in agronomic expertise from Bayer, SHP was founded amongst a well-rounded, diverse group of organizations. We have accomplished a lot in five years thanks in large part to the support from our founding members and partner farmers,” said NCGA Vice President, Production and Sustainability, Nathan Fields. “The program is only just beginning. SHP is a priority to the NCGA board, and we can’t wait to see where we are in another five years and beyond.”
The SHP network now spans across 16 states and includes over 100 partner organizations at the federal, state and county levels. SHP has grown from 17 active farms in 2014 to 220 active farms in 2019 and represents over 7,000 acres.
SHP currently has a team of eight field managers that work alongside farmers in their region to design and implement experiments in fields across North America.
“It is encouraging to see the vast number of farmers interested in investing in their land that they are proactively inviting SHP into their operations. We continue seeking new ways to diversify our offerings to enable farmers from a broad range of geographies and operations can be part of our program,” stated SHP Lead Scientist, Maria Bowman. “We credit our growth in large part to the energy and investment by the farmers in the SHP network. Our farmers believe and trust the work that we do, owning the data and the outcomes that are collected.”
Mehta concludes, “We look forward to the future of continued collaboration, opportunities to learn and grow with other organizations, and working alongside a broad group of farmers as they ensure the sustainability of their farm operations. The foundation has been laid, and we are eager to see where the future takes SHP and soil health management for American farmers.”
About the Soil Health Partnership
The Soil Health Partnership is a farmer-led initiative that fosters transformation in agriculture through improved soil health. Administered by the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), the partnership has more than 220 working farms enrolled in 16 states. SHP’s mission is to utilize science and data to partner with farmers who are adopting conservation agricultural practices that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the farm. For more information, visit https://soilhealthpartnership.org.
About the National Corn Growers Association
Founded in 1957, the National Corn Growers Association represents nearly 40,000 dues-paying corn farmers nationwide and the interests of more than 300,000 growers who contribute through corn checkoff programs in their states. NCGA and its 50 affiliated state associations and checkoff organizations work together to create and increase opportunities for their members and their industry.
Today, American Farmland Trust(AFT), the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®,is releasing four case studies that show that healthier soil on farmland brings economic benefits to farmers and environmental benefits to society. These case studies were developed in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
“Increasingly, we understand that better soil health – and specific practices aimed at building soil organic matter, fostering microbial life in the soil, reducing nutrient loss, and protecting soil from erosion – lead to higher net income for farming operations. These case studies contribute to the growing body of quantitative evidence that improving soil health increases farmer profitability,” said Dr. Perez.
The two-page case studies focus on corn-soybean production in Illinois and Ohio, almond production in California and a diversified rotation (sweet corn, alfalfa, corn for silage or grain) in New York. The four farmers featured implemented soil health practices like no-till or strip-till, nutrient management, cover crops, compost, and mulching.
“When it comes to conservation, producers have to make decisions based on what makes the most sense for their operations,” said NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr. “These case studies provide information on the economic benefits of using soil health management systems, demonstrating the value of adopting these systems.”
With soil health management, producers can increase their yield, decrease their risk and input costs, and improve their profits, all while conserving our nation’s resources for the public at large, on their farms, in their watersheds, and beyond. Soil health management systems are good for farmers and for the public.
“Increased implementation of soil health is critical to AFT’s holistic approach to saving the land that sustains us. Ensuring a sustainable future for this planet and our society requires we value the land, the practices on the land and the people who steward that land. AFT’s case studies showcase farmers who took the risk and are now enjoying the benefits of implementing practices that will support food production for a growing population while improving our environment and sequestering carbon. Farmers across the country can now embrace these practices and, with the help of staffers from AFT and our partner NRCS, put them into practice with greater confidence and profitability,” says John Piotti, AFT president and CEO.
Highlights from the case studies include:
All four of the farmers profiled saw improved yields ranging from 2% to 22% that they attributed, in part, to their soil health practices. The average return on investment was 176% for the four farms in the study and ranged from 35% to 343%. The study accounted for other factors at play in increased yield such as improved seed varieties and increased seeding rates.
All four farmers saw improved water quality outcomes, both by witnessing reduced soil and water runoff and as estimated by USDA’s Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT). NTT estimated that nitrogen reductions ranged from 40% to 98%, phosphorus reductions ranged from 74% to 92%; and sediment reductions ranged from 76% to 96% from specific fields in each farm.
All four farmers saw improved climate outcomes, as estimated by USDA’s COMET-Farm Tool. The tool estimated that total greenhouse gas emission reductions from specific fields in each farm ranged from 16% to 560%, corresponding to taking three-fourths of a car to 17 cars off the road.
All four farmers have been implementing different soil health practices over different time frames and a variety of cropping systems. With these case studies and the ones that will be released in the fall, AFT is building a diverse library of on-farm examples of soil health investments that have led to economic gain.
We hope that farmers who have been considering adding soil health practices to their operation will be able to use these case studies to approach their existing landowners, from whom they rent their land, to discuss sharing the risks and rewards of the soil health investments. We think farmers may be able to use the case studies with a new landlord to add new fields. Should that materialize, we hope farmers will also share the case studies with their bankers to secure additional financing for the farm expansion.
Farmers across the country can reach out to their local NRCS and Soil and Water Conservation District staff to help them implement soil health practices on their farm. In the watersheds featured in the four case studies, farmers can reach out to both the local NRCS and SWCD staff as well as the four AFT authors of the case studies.
We hope our conservation partners at NRCS, SWCD and Extension, plus our partners in the private sector, crop consultants, cover crop seed dealers, and strip-till equipment providers, use these case studies with their customers to help answer questions about the costs and benefits of adopting soil health practices.
American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Foodmessage. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) mission is “Helping People Help the Land.” NRCS helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners conserve the nation’s soil, water, air and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment.
