Cornell Soil Health Update

Cornell Soil Health Update Aaron Ristow Extension Associate with Bob Schindelbeck, Bianca Moebius-Clune, Daniel Moebius-Clune, Janice Thies, and Harold van Es Soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu

Today, I will touch upon. Excitement about soil health initiatives Soil health management Soil health testing Soil health management planning Linking soil health testing (SHT) with adaptive N management TMDL regulation and Soil Health Management

Now a National Focus: Today s soils are limited by their HEALTH We are talking about it! Beyond nutrient limitations and excesses Interacting biological and physical limitations: Limit resilience to drought and extreme rainfall, pests Impact crop quality, yield Demand expensive inputs Need to understand agro-ecosystems with many interconnected parts Need to understand constraints and manage them Physical processes Soil Health Biological processes Chemical processes

USDA - NRCS New NRCS Soil Health Division with 20 specialists Bianca Moebius- Clune Director, Soil Health Division Great YouTube videos on the Science of Soil Health:http://www.nrcs.usd a.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detai l/national/soils/health/?cid= stelprdb1245890 New initiative Announced in Aug 2012 Provide TA to States through Training Courses Expanding agency technical capacity and assistance to producers

Other Exciting Initiatives Partnerships focused on raising awareness and promoting sustainability of soil resources Also interested in testing and measuring management practices to improve soil health and benefit farmers operations

Soil Health is Full NRCS definition used by NRCS national Soil Health Initiative: The continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.

Soil Health Testing Soil Health cant be measured directly Awareness Diagnosing problems for targeted management Monitoring current status and improvements

Quantification You don t know if you don t measure. What gets measured, gets done..

These are both Buxton Silt Loams Standard Soil Test says this one is better Do you believe it? Dorn Cox, 2012 Bianca Moebius-Clune, 2012

Cornell Soil Health Test ties Indicators to Soil Processes Provides standardized, field-specific information on agronomically important constraints in biological, physical and chemical processes Primary indicators focus on those that are effective and can be implemented at modest cost and usability for sampler The measured indicators are relevant to agricultural production and are sensitive to management changes Combination of multiple existing tests into an overall soil health assessment It identifies constraints in bio and phys soil function, and ties this to needs for management changes that will help address the identified constraints.

On-line submission form in 2015 Updated edition for 2015 CSHT Report sent out in 4 weeks

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Publically available since 2006 Identifies soil constraints Measures 16 indicators o Representing agronomically important bio/phys soil processes o Includes standard nutrient test Guide for management decisions o Measures interpreted with scoring functions o Report includes written interpretations and management suggestions table

Cornell Soil Health Assessment

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Page 1 Assesses soil chemical, physical and biological functioning Process oriented Measures indicators Uses scoring functions (see page 2) Overall score Targeted management suggestions (see pages 9-10)

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Page 2 Scoring Function strategy

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Pages 3-8 Defines the processes each indicator represents Relationship to soil management Interpretation of each test score Management prioritization Aggregate Stability is a measure of how well soil aggregates or crumbs hold together under rainfall or other rapid wetting stresses. Measured by the fraction of dried aggregates that disintegrate under a controlled, simulated rainfall event similar in energy delivery to a hard spring rain, the value is presented as a percent, and scored against a distribution observed in regional soils with similar textural characteristics. A physical characteristic of soil, Aggregate Stability is a good indicator of soil biological and physical health. Good aggregate stability helps prevent crusting, runoff, and erosion, and facilitates aeration, infiltration, and water storage, along with improving seed germination and root and microbial health. Aggregate stability is influenced by microbial activity, as aggregates are largely held together by microbial colonies and exudates, and is impacted by management practices, particularly tillage, cover cropping, and fresh organic matter additions. Your measured Aggregate Stability value is 15.7%, corresponding with a score of 16. This score is in the Low range, relative to regional soils with similar texture. Aggregate Stability should be given a high priority in management decisions based on this assessment, as it is likely to be an important constraint to proper soil functioning and sustainability of management at this time. Please refer to the management suggestions table at the end of this document.

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Pages 9-10 Available Water Capacity Low Surface Hardness High Subsurface Hardness High Constrained and Suboptimal indicators are flagged in the Report Management Suggestions table Aggregate Stability Low Organic Matter Low Soil Protein Index Low Root Pathogen Pressure High Respiration Low Active Carbon Low

Soil Health Management Planning begins with grower questions.. L Where is my soil strong or weak? What can I do to address these issues? How can I put it all together to make a sound soil management plan? Can someone help me with this?

Some Considerations Know what works From: Lehman et al., 2015

Addressing Complexity Acknowledge a more complicated crop and soil management structure One practice can address multiple constraints and a single constraints can be addressed by multiple practices enhance mycorrhizal numbers add organic matter add N cover crops suppress weeds suppress nematodes attract beneficial insects reduce erosion increase water infiltration/ retention decrease nutrient loss Compost/ Manure Reduced Tillage Rotation

Soil Health Management Planning Process 1. Determine farm background and management history Compile background info: history by management unit, farm operation type, equipment, access to resources, situational opportunities or limitations. Grower strengths 2. Set goals and sample for soil health Determine number and distribution of soil health samples needed according to operation background and goals. Grower goals, soil sampling 3. For each management unit: identify and explain constraints, prioritize Soil Health Report identifies constraints, guides prioritization. Explain results based on background, and adjust priorities. 4. Identify feasible management options Management suggestions table available as part of Soil Health Report, or online with NRCS practice linkages 5. Create short and long term Soil Health Management Plan Evaluate results Define options Refine options Integrate agronomic science of 2-4 with grower realities of 1 to create a specific short-term schedule of management practices for each management unit and an overall long-term strategy Implement, refine 6. Implement, monitor, and adapt Implement and document management practices. Monitor progress, repeat testing, and evaluate outcomes. Adapt plan based on experience and data over time.

2015: A Basic Cornell Soil Health Test ($45) Rapid soil texture Aggregate stability- soil crumb structure related to crusting, runoff. Influenced by tillage, cover crops, OM additions Soil hardness (surface / subsoil) compaction measured in the field Respiration- a direct biological activity measurement. Affects N transformations, decomposition of residues Nutrient analysis and OM- availability of essential nutrients

Some Considerations We would like to demonstrate value for soil health improvement Higher yields Reduced inputs Nutrients Pest control Water Higher land values (sales; rentals; not taxes)? Lower crop insurance rates? But this is not easy..

Linking Soil Health Info with Adapt-N, a cloud-based N recommendation tool

What factors does Adapt-N include in making a recommendation? Weather: Soil: High resolution (4x4 km) daily P &T, and SR data Irrigation amounts and dates texture/soil type, slope, rooting depth, % organic matter Tillage: fall or spring plowing; conservation tillage/residue management Fertilizer and manure applications: date, rate, type, N analysis, placement Crop: Cultivar; planting date, maturity class, Population and expected yield Rotations: soy, corn - silage or grain, or sod - last 3 yrs, % legume, surface killed or incorporated Economics: Fertilizer and grain prices & profit loss risk

Chesapeake Bay has MAJOR water quality problems

TMDLs? Nutrient Enrichment, Dead Zones, Impact Water Quality Total Maximum Daily Loads Estimate Loads from Sources Sewage Urban runoff Farms and forests, etc. Assign Reduction Goals for 2025 Selected Pollutants: - N, P, sediment Set Daily Limits - pollution diet From PilotOnline.com 8-3-2012

NY Watershed Implementation Plan Goals for 2025 Target levels of implementation by 2025 Practices to focus on Plan requires more than just CAFO regulation and cost share Watershed Implementation Plans, 2-Year Milestones, Tracking and Assessing Progress, and potential Federal Actions if insufficient WIPs and Milestones

NY Planning Targets (An Example) Need to reduce from 10.7 to 9.28 million pounds of N (13%) Need to reduce from 0.96 to 0.68 million pounds of P (29%) Based on EPA WSM version 5.3.2 2013 Progress 2-18-14 We are now tracking and assessing progress and have completed second 2-year milestones Marching on to 2017 mid-point assessment (60% of the way by 2017) Need to reach target allocation by 2025

IMPACTS ON NY AGRICULTURE: Suggested EPA Backstops for NY: It will take significant regulatory action: A revised TMDL Permit revision to enforce action WWTP likely to be primary focus However under current TMDL: Could designate AFOs as CAFOs Farms of any size will have NMPs Farms of any size will be required to have manure storage sak.com Potential Policy actions: Prohibiting winter spreading, requiring manure injection, ammonia emission controls Add about 800 regulated farms to watershed Farms may choose to go out of business rather than implement practices that are not specific to their farm needs.

IMPACTS ON NY AGRICULTURE Other TMDLs in NY set for the future Letter from EPA regarding Cayuga Lake as one example... the NYSDEC should assess the available data and more fully understand water quality dynamics within the southern portion of the lake and develop remedial measures (e.g., development of a TMDL)... NYSDEC should organize a group of stakeholders...with a history of interest in the improvement of Cayuga Lake water quality. This workgroup would be charged with assessing available data; identifying data gaps; choosing...models; and developing a plan designed to achieve WQ standards in Cayuga Lake, including the establishment and implementation of EPA approved TMDLs as necessary and a watershed management approach capable of addressing water quality problems in Cayuga Lake.

Acknowledgements The Core Development Team at Cornell University: George Abawi, Beth Gugino (now Penn State), John Idowu (now NMSU), Bianca Moebius-Clune (now NRCS), Dan Moebius-Clune, Bob Schindelbeck, Janice Thies, Harold van Es, David Wolfe, Many Growers and Extension Educators Collaborators: Dorn Cox (Greenstart NH), Brandon Smith (NH-NRCS), Heather Darby (UVM), Ray Weil (UMD), Thomas Bjorkman (Cornell), NRCS, Conservation Districts, Greenstart NH, and a growing network of other people and organizations More detailed webinar available at: http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/cornell-soil-health-assessment-adiagnostic-approach-for-evaluating-and-managing-soil-health Funders: