Farmer Soil Health and Soil Ecology Education.

Farmers (N=117) were educated about soil health at a series of educational meetings held in Ohio. The six hour curriculum included soil demonstrations and presentations on soil ecology, nutrient recycling, soil compaction, cover crop economics, and cover crop management (selection, seeding and termination).  Farmers were taught the benefits of cover crops and no-till and how to use cover crops to increase nutrient uptake, how to reduce surface runoff and improve water infiltration by reducing soil compaction, and how to improve water storage by increasing soil organic matter.   Participants were provided with teaching materials that included fact sheets, notebooks, cover crop field guide, and websites to assist in raising cover crops profitably.  The goal was to increase knowledge, acceptance and implementation of cover crops and no-till to improve soil health. Long-term, the goal is to increase adoption of no-till and cover crops by 20-30% within fifteen years. If legume cover crops could be increased by 20%, the goal is to reduce nitrogen fertilizer usage by 10 to 20% with possibly a 35% reduction within fifteen years. The Midwest Cover Crops Council, Ohio No-Till Council, Ohio Conservation Tillage Conference, and National Soil and Water Conservation Society supported this project.  A 20% gain in knowledge occurred on nutrient management, crop diversity, conservation tillage, soil compaction, and soil ecology topics.  Participants reported that the training reduced barriers to implementing cover crops and long-term no-till and 2) that increased soil organic matter was the best way to improve soil health and ecosystem services.