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The Biology of Soil Compaction
This short video provides the basics on what causes soil compaction and how it affects water infiltration.
Prescribed Fire Online Course
Want to learn how to plan and conduct a prescribed fire? Check out the Prescribed Fire Online Course! Learning Objectives – Fire for a healthy ecosystem – Considerations for a fire plan – Safe practices…
Livestock Pasture Use & Plant Preferences
Does your livestock match your pasture?
Cattle, sheep and goats use pastures differently.
– Terrain: Goats and sheep tend to use steeper areas than cattle.
– Plant Types: Cattle eat mainly grasses while goats browse more shrubs and trees. Sheep are intermediate and have less preference for a specific plant type.
– Selection for Plant Parts: Cattle have large broad mouths and cannot select specific plant parts well, instead they typically take large bites of plants. Sheep and goats have small mouths with prehensile lips which allow them to select specific plant parts
Grazing multiple species can often be complementary, resulting in broader use of available plant types and pasture terrain.
Illustration: John McQuaig
Source: The Prairie Project The Prairie Project
Data:
McDaniel & Tiedeman (1981). Sheep use on mountain winter range in New Mexico.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3898122
Pinchak et al. (1991). Beef cattle distribution patterns on foothill range.
https://doi.org/10.2307/4002956
Does your livestock match your pasture? Cattle, sheep and goats use pastures differently. – Terrain: Goats and sheep tend to use steeper areas than cattle. – Plant Types: Cattle eat mainly grasses while goats browse…
Farm Bill, Food Land Access with Pantaleon Florez III
Farmer and Experiential Learning Specialist Pantaleon Florez III, visits Kansas Rural Center’s Program Manager Ryan Goertzen-Regier and Board of Directors President Zack Pistora about his “no fossil fuel farm,” land access, and food as a…
Growing Organic and the Farm Bill with Demetria Hill
Organic grower and certifier, Demetria Hill, visits with Kansas Rural Center Program Manager Ryan Goertzen-Regier and Kansas Rural Center Board of Directors President Zack Pistora about the process of organic certification, her own operation, and…
Soil Health and the Farm Bill with Jim & Lisa French
Jim and Lisa French, sustainable farmers and longtime friends of KRC, visit with Kansas Rural Center Program Manager Ryan Goertzen-Regier and Kansas Rural Center Board of Directors President Zack Pistora about the evolving world of…
Grazing Cover Crop Calculator
This tool can be used to assist in determining the number of days or acres animals can graze cover crops. https://www.jotform.com/app/221745338623861
Winter Grazing of Cover Crops
Question: How many acres of cover crop does a cow-calf pair need to make it through a typical winter? -From South-Central Kansas Answers: Assuming a fall calving operation, a 1300 lb cow and about 3600…
Soil Health: A Paradigm Shift with Jack Geiger
Jack Geiger an organic farmer and star of the Geiger Farm Youtube channel visits with Kansas Rural Center Program Manager Ryan Goertzen-Regier and Kansas Rural Center Board of Directors President Zack Pistora about the his…
Soil Health and the Farm Bill with Nick Levendofsky
Executive Director of the Kansas Farmers Union, Nick Levedofsky visits with Kansas Rural Center Program Manager Ryan Goertzen-Regier and Kansas Rural Center Board of Directors President Zack Pistora about the history of the Farm Bill,…
Soil Health, Conservation, and Succession with Tom Giessel
Tom Giessel has been farming the land of Kansas since childhood. He meets with KRC Program Manager Ryan Goertzen-Regier, and board Executive Director Zack Pistora to discuss his experience with conservation programs, diversifying over the…
Kansas Farm Bureau Rural Minds Matter Website
This page contains websites, webinars, podcasts, training, and other resources to help farmers and ranchers who are struggling with mental health. Rural Minds Matter (kfb.org)
K-State’s Office of Farm and Ranch Transitions
K-State’s recently launched AgKansitions program is here to help you take the next step in planning for the future, including succession planning, retirement, and transferring management and assets. The office also offers a land-link program…
Cover Crop Response to Herbicides
Cover crop response to herbicides will be influenced by a number of factors, including biological and biochemical characteristics of the plant, chemical characteristics of the herbicide, and weather conditions since herbicide application. The table linked below summarizes the response of selected cover crops to selected herbicides. For simplicity, no herbicide premixes are included in the list. The responses are cautious/conservative estimates based on published field research, herbicide labels, and a recent publication from the Take Action campaign (see below). A field bioassay is the most reliable method to determine crop response to potential herbicide residues.
Cover crop response to herbicides will be influenced by a number of factors, including biological and biochemical characteristics of the plant, chemical characteristics of the herbicide, and weather conditions since herbicide application. The table linked…
Cover Crop Challenges
A mix of spring forage barely, Indian mustard, black oats, winter peas, and crimson clover was planted on April 1. Cows were put on it May 7 and pulled around June 21. At that time,…
New ground: Where to start the regeneration process?
If you were getting a new piece of ground that had been conventionally tilled the last 16 years, where would you start the regeneration process? I can’t soil test yet, but know that it hasn’t…
Grazing Cover Crops: Winter Wheat vs Rye?
How can we work in cover crops following corn and soybean harvest that will get enough growth to be worthwhile? Is winter wheat better than rye? Question submitted from southeast Nebraska.
Welcome from Michael Thompson, Board Chair
Welcome! I want to take this time to welcome you to our website. The Kansas Soil Health Alliance is a nonprofit founded by farmers and ranchers to assist other producers in making soil a priority…
Why is soil health important?
Answer from Nick Guetterman, Bucyrus, KS: Healthy soil grows healthy crops. Healthy Soils can receive and store more water and nutrients. Water infiltrates healthy soil at a much faster rate so less water runs off…
How can I tell if my soil is healthy?
Answer from Nick Guetterman, Bucyrus, KS: My first simple gauge to tell if my soil is healthy is to look at soil organic matter content compared to organic matter in similar soils that are in…
What drove you to make a change on your land?
Answer from Nick Guetterman, Bucyrus, KS: No-till was adopted on our farm because of the amount of soil erosion from excessive rainfall. We were not able to keep up with terrace and waterway maintenance. Our…
