Soil health topics:

• About - Basics about soil health & Cornell's work.
• People - Faculty, stall and others working with soil health.
• Research - Accomplishments and research publications.
• Extension & Outreach - Info for growers & educators.
• Resources - Other websites, publications and more.

Program plans include a mix of classroom and hands-on lab and field work, plus field trips to local farms to observe and discuss soil health practices. More information and registration form.

Thomas Björkman, vegetable- and cover-crop expert at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, is heading up a project to help Northeast vegetable growers use cover crops to improve soil health. Björkman will train extension staff in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Vermont to interpret Cornell Soil Health Test reports and to fill prescriptions from that test with the right cover crop.

Extension staff will work with 43 growers to choose cover crops to solve their specific soil health problems and to test the effectiveness of the new practice. By identifying the cover crops best suited to specific management goals, growers will get more value from them and be able to improve both their environmental impact and their financial bottom line.

This project builds on the success of the Cornell Soil Health Team to deploy the tools they developed, and to expand the management recommendations that result from the report. The management recommendations are available at the Cornell Cover Crop website. The $98,158-project is funded by the Northeast region of the USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE). For more information, contact Björkman: tnb1@cornell.edu.

New York Farm Viability Institute subsidizes soil health testing

Again in 2009, a grant from the New York Farm Viability Institute is helping some New York farmers test their soil health at a reduced cost -- just $20 per sample instead of the $45 full price. This year, cost-sharing is limited to only 30 samples.

The test, developed by the Cornell Soil Health Program Work Team, integrates 15 individual physical, biological and chemical soil measurements, and synthesizes the information into a user-friendly report. The test provides a baseline assessment farmers can use to determine the impact of future soil-improving practices, such as planting cover crops, incorporating organic amendments or reducing tillage.

More information about soil health testing.

NYFVI soil testing info:

• Grower letter
• Baseline farm data form

Test your soil's health

From simple in-field assessments to comprehnsive lab tests, here's how.

2009 soil health testing information

• Sampling instructions
• Submission form

Hot topic:

Improve your soil with cover crops
Online resource developed by Thomas Bjorkman, NYSAES. Includes cover crop decision tool.