Soil Building

Resources
Building Soil for Organic and Sustainable Farms: Where to Start? | Vicki Morrone and Sieglinde S. Snapp | MSU Extension Bulletin | January 2011

Advanced Soil Organic Matter Management | Sieglinde S. Snapp and Stuart Grandy | MSU Extension Bulletin | February 2011

Building Soils Organically: Is This a Moving Target? | Sieglinde S. Snapp

How Much Carbon Can be Sequestered by Organic-based Cropping Systems in MI Soils? | Alexandra Kravchenko

Perennial Wheat: A New Crop for Michigan? | Brook Wilke

MSUE Manure Management Bulletins

Best Practices for Natural Resources on Organic Farms | Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program

Maintaining Soil Fertility in an Organic Fruit and Vegetables Crop System | University of Minnesota Extension
One of the many   fundamental goals of organic farming is to produce a crop with minimal synthetic   inputs. The main concept behind this approach is to conserve natural resources   by relying more on biological processes within the soil system to recycle and   release nutrients rather than provide high amounts of soluble nutrients from   manufactured fertilizers. TThe focus of this discussion   is to provide information on various approaches to managing and maintaining soil fertility for organic crop production.

Lowering Soil pH for Horticulture Crops | Purdue University Extension
The pH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. Soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients in the rooting zone. This publication explains why lowering soil pH is important for commercial producers and recommends practices to safely and effectively lower soil pH.

Water & Irrigation
Soil moisture sensors tell you when, how much to water | Tom Burfield | Drip Irrigation Made Easy
Today, drip is an irrigation method of choice throughout the United States, especially for high-value crops. The process continues to be refined as technology improves and as water conservation becomes an increasingly significant concern. At the forefront of these refinements is Gilbert Miller, area vegetable specialist who heads the soil moisture monitor project at Clemson University. Miller has come up with a system that uses moisture sensors to determine when and how much to water crops.

Soil Testing & Assessment 
Testing Soil for Needed Nutrients | MSU Soil and Plant Nutrient Laboratory

Don’t Guess . . . Soil Test | Penn State University
Proper soil fertility is the foundation for plant health. pH and nutrient levels vary greatly from site to site, so guessing about nutritional needs often misses the mark. Soil tests often reveal that adequate quantities of soil nutrients are present, thus preventing unnecessary or harmful fertilizer applications.

Understanding soil test results | E.S. Marx, J. Hart, and R.G. Stevens | Oregon State University

Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual | New York State Agriculture Experiment Station

Soil Ecology & Management | MSU Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
Key principles of soil ecological management, including biodiversity, vegetative cover, manure and reduced tillage.

Soil Organic Matter: The Living, the Dead, and the Very Dead | Vern Grubinger | University of Vermont Extension
Organic matter makes up only a small percentage of most soils, but it has a great deal of influence on soil properties, and in turn, agricultural productivity.