No matter the type of farm, there’s an advantage to planting soil-feeding cover crops ahead of fall and winter. The assistance provided depends on the crops you plant. But there is definitely one out ...

Agricultural soil testing is critical to determining soil’s nutrient concentration and variability across your fields. It is ideal to test your fields’ soil at least every two to three years to inform ...

In recent years, we’ve seen a significant increase in the use of—and funding for—cover crops such as winter rye, oats, red clover and cowpeas. Cover cropping has been shown to help protect land from ...

Soil testing begins with the homeowner, gardener, and farmer. The most critical step in soil testing is soil sample collection. Soil testing can help growers make informed decisions about fertilizer ...

Soil scientist Andrew Margenot holds a jar of soil gathered from Menard County, Illinois in 1948. The University of Illinois professor said he rediscovered the "church of soil" when searching an old ...

Raised beds make gardening easier, but winter can be hard on them. Bare soil sits there taking all the wind, rain, and temperature swings. By spring, it’s crusted over, compacted, and full of early ...