Burleigh County Soil Conservation District

Purebreds, Pluggers & Profitable Soil

September 21, 2013
Brian DeVore
agriculture, Food and Sustainable Agriculture, Loon Commons blog
Burleigh County Soil Conservation District, Burleigh County Soil Health Team, cover crops, diverse agriculture, Gabe Brown, Kristine Nichols, Land Stewardship Project, mob grazing, no-till, NRCS, SARE, soil erosion, soil health, sustainable agriculture

On a recent August evening in south-central North Dakota, soil scientist Kristine Nichols laid out what I like to call the “purebred vs. the plugger” approach to farming. “With healthy soil, you…
Flash Flood? Flash Drought? Time for a Little Slow Soil

September 13, 2013
Brian DeVore
agriculture, climate change, Food and Sustainable Agriculture, Loon Commons blog
Burleigh County Soil Conservation District, Burleigh County Soil Health Team, climate change, cover crops, Gabe Brown, Jay Fuhrer, Land Stewardship Project, Minnesota NRCS, no-till, North Central SARE, rotational grazing, soil biology, Soil Conservation Districts, soil erosion, soil health

The U.S Drought Monitor released its latest figures yesterday, verifying what we already knew: Minnesota is extremely dry. In fact, 55 percent of our state now falls under the “severe drought” or…
Teaming With Soil Microbes (part 2)

January 13, 2013
Brian DeVore
agriculture, Food and Sustainable Agriculture, Loon Commons blog
Burleigh County Soil Conservation District, Burleigh County Soil Health Team, cover crops, crop diversity, Gabe Brown, grass, Holistic Management, Jay Fuhrer, Joshua Dukart, Kristine Nichols, Land Stewardship Project, mob grazing, pasture, rotational grazing, soil, soil erosion, soil health, soil microbes, soil quality, water quality

Talking about the importance of feeding soil microbes is fine. Speaking with your feet is even better. “Take a closer look—anything you tramp down is just carbon in the soil,” quips soil…