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Grass Roots Partnering for Soil Quality
using a soil quality test kit in the field |
After Three Rivers Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D)
coordinator Paula Jones and University of Idaho Sustainable Agriculture
Coordinator Cinda Williams decided that soil quality issues were too important to wait
for an NRCS course on soil quality, they went to Sustainable Agriculture and
Research Education’s (SARE) Western Region Professional Development Program for
funding to create one of their own.
“We saw that within NRCS, the technical emphasis was moving to soil quality and
we thought, ‘Let’s get ahead of the curve,” said Jones. Armed with a 2002 SARE
grant, Williams, Jones, and other project leaders held four workshops in a year,
providing soil quality training to 106 NRCS; Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service (CSREES); and other
agricultural professionals from Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming.
By the end of each three-day training session, participants had learned how to recognize
and use indicators of soil quality, how to perform and assess soil quality
measurements using a soil quality test kit, and how to prescribe practices and
develop management strategies to improve soil quality.
The grant also allowed the project leaders to purchase 24 soil quality test
kits, which they distributed throughout Idaho in NRCS, RC&D, and CSREES offices.
The soil quality test kit, available from an
agricultural supply house
is modeled after the kit developed by the NRCS-Soil Quality Institute and
includes the instruction and interpretation booklet written by SQI scientists.
The test kit enables agricultural professionals and farmers to conduct a number
of simple tests such as soil respiration, water infiltration, bulk density,
salinity, soil nitrate, and aggregate stability. The kit’s versatility means a
user can learn about biological, chemical, and physical soil properties without
having to send samples off to the lab.
“The soil test kits are easy to use, portable, and very helpful to the farmer,”
said Jones. “If you give farmers tools to check their soils, you can show that
it works and that they can monitor [the soil] themselves,” she added.
Learning how to use the kits also proved to be one of the most successful parts
of the workshop. “It’s easier to understand the process if you use it in the
field,” said Rod Kyar, Idaho Assistant State Soil Scientist, and workshop
leader, who selected two sites for the soil workshops that would show large
differences in soil quality.
Kyar likes the test kits because they contain a variety of standard soil tests.
“Most people know pH and EC, but the test kits exposed people to other tests
such as bulk density, infiltration, and respiration. Interpretations from these
tests clearly demonstrated how different management practices can impact the
soil,” said Kyar.
Participants were quite excited about the kits at the workshop although both
Jones and Kyar note that they are not getting as much use as hoped, simply
because of staff time constraints. However, Jones said, training 100 people in
soil quality was a big accomplishment. And, those who are trained stand ready to
pass on what they learned. “We now have a cadre in Idaho that we can pull
together to do training in neighboring States,” said Jones.
About SARE
Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program
has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound
and good for communities through a nationwide grants program. The program,
administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, USDA, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve
agricultural systems and natural resources.
NRCS field office professionals frequently collaborate on SARE-funded projects
and are valuable partners to the SARE program. NRCS staff serve on SARE’s
national Operations Committee, on regional Administrative Councils, on State
committees and are actively engaged as technical advisers and collaborators on
SARE-funded research grants around the U.S.
For more information, visit
the SARE website or for more information about the regional SARE programs, click on the region
area of the map below.
Your contact is Diana Friedman, SARE
research associate, at 301-504-6422.
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