This document discusses soil health in Mitchell, South Dakota. It notes that the growing season is short and winters are cold. Moisture and season length limit crop growth. The soils are loamy and only 6-8 inches deep, so tillage reduces infiltration and increases runoff and erosion. The author recommends adopting a 3-crop rotation including a perennial crop like alfalfa, adding a cover crop after wheat, and adopting no-till practices to build soil health and reduce erosion and improve water quality. Various outreach and demonstration activities are discussed to educate producers and the public on soil health best practices.

1. SOIL HEALTH
By Tamara Sommer
Soil Conservationist
Mitchell, South Dakota

2. Pierre
Sioux Falls
Rapid City
Mitchell
Shorter growing season (May 15- Nov 1), colder winter temperature

3. • Moisture and length of growing season are our limiting factors
• Loamy soils are 6-8” deep that when tilled the silt “seals” up and infiltration is
reduced so runoff or ponding occurs, resulting in erosion or saline
• We would like to see at least a 3 crop rotation, corn-soybeans-wheat
• Add a perennial crop, alfalfa or grass
• Add a cover crop after wheat, would be a benefit to break up the compaction,
increase infiltration, lessen diseases, increases the organic matter, livestock
forage, scavenge Nitrogen, fixate Nitrogen, nutrient cycling, spring moisture
utilization, wildlife, reduces weeds, cycles residue & builds soil health
• Predominate resource concerns are soil erosion and water quality

4. Crop field with a no-till cropping system

5. Earthworm macro pores in a field with a no-till system

6. Wind erosion field caused by over tillage causing poor soil structure

7. Cover crop drilled into wheat stubble consisting of rape, radish, turnips, lentil

8. Educate the young
Rangeland Days
School K-6

9. SOILS DEMONSTRATION
Rangeland/Soil Days Saline/Sodic

10. Women in Blue Jeans
• Approximately 250 women from
large area
• Women in Blue Jeans is
presented each year by a group
of dedicated volunteer women
to provide education,
inspiration, and networking
opportunities to women of rural
America
• Friday evening and Saturday

11. Table top
Infiltration
demonstration
–used at local fairs (State Fair,
DakotaFest, farm shows),
schools (Vo-Tech,
elementary); annual soil
health day; Conservation
District customer appreciation
days; 4-H leadership days

12. Rainfall simulator
Runoff vs infiltration
No-tillwithcovercrop
Tillagewith3croprotation
Nativegrass
No-till
Conventionaltill
Putting on 2” of “rain”

13. Infiltration kits
• In SD, these kits are given to
producers so they can
monitor their own land.
• Keep one in the vehicle
• Crop needs to be actively
growing; ie… annual crop
(corn,beans,wheat) vs
perennial crop (alfalfa);
hayland/pasture of (smooth
brome/Kentucky bluegrass)
vs native range; tilled vs no-
till, etc
• 1 inch water (second inch)
and time to see how long it
takes to disappear.

14. Infiltration test on saline site
Pounding in ring Took 30 minutes and nothing happened

15. Took 3 minutes to infiltrate the 2nd inch.

16. Annual Soil
health day
Usually held in February.
Ray Archuleta showing the
infiltration and slake tests
(clumps of different soils
to see how they dissolve
in water). Slake tests
across the state in “soil
health” offices.
175-275 producers
from across the state

17. Voices of Volunteers
• 80 volunteers in the state with 16 profiles on SD NRCS website; they are
Earth Team Volunteers
• Many Voices have offered to host a tour at their farm/ranch, be interviewed
by the media, speak at public events (workshops, training sessions,
meetings, etc.); serve as a mentor for soil health; do a radio interview
(recorded or live); travel to workshops to promote soil health; and/or allow
photos to be taken or provide photos of their farm/ranch for publicity.
• Grassland Coalition in SD – promotes healthy grassland
• SD now has a Soil Health Coalition – started June 11; has 7 Board of
Directors
• Davison County Friends of Conservation – group of producers willing to
assist District Conservationist in soil health promotions: tours on land, train
new employees (students)

18. Voices of Volunteers
• map
Voices panel

19. • South Dakota State University
• SDSU Extension,
• Dakota Lakes Research Farm
• Mitchell Technical Institute’s Farm & Ranch management program
and their Ag classes, etc.
• South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts
• local Conservation Districts for soil health education and
demonstration sites.
Always willing to line up tours: during DakotaFest we had the EPA,
DENR, SDACD, Congressmen reps, State Conservationist

20. Education provided:
- Saline tours
- cover crop tours (aerial, interseeding, drilling, etc.)
- Barn tour (deep pit ag waste)
- Conservation District board meetings – networking
- Work with 319 watershed project coordinators, Pheasants
Forever, US Fish and Wildlife Service, South Dakota Game Fish
and Parks, Conservation Districts, Ducks Unlimited
- Networking: county weed boards, bankers, equipment
dealers, precision ag salesmen, seed dealers

21. Programs offered by the Natural Resources Conservation Services
• EQIP-Environmental Quality Incentive Program (includes WHIP-Wildlife Habitat
Incentive Program)
• CSP-Conservation Stewardship Program
• ACEP-Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (old Wetland Reserve
Program, Grassland Reserve Program and Farm & Ranch Land Protection
Program)
• Provide technical service for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• States have different programs and initiatives offered

22. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination
against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the
bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity,
religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status,
familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an
individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or
protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity
conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will
apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)