GEORGETOWN — Delaware conservation district and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service field staff recently attended a three-day soil health and sustainability training. The first two days consisted of presentations, demonstrations, scenarios and group assignments at the Vanderwende-Evans Conservation Center in Georgetown. Topics included soil biology, soil health principles, ecological management, cover crop management, resource concerns and soil health indicators, grazing cropland and grassland and closed with strategizing and implementing the soil health management system and plan. Day three consisted of in-field soil health assessments at two local no-till fields.

The fog dissipated from corn stubble, hairy vetch and daikon radish cover crop seedlings as James “Jay” Baxter of Georgetown, owner of Baxter Farms, Inc. and a National Association of Conservation Districts Soil Health Champion, welcomed the group. Mr. Baxter discussed his management practices with conservationists and answered questions. Candy Thomas, specialist, and Carl Koch, special projects coordinator, with the USDA NRCS Soil Health Division, guided conservationists through the soil health assessment which analyzes soil cover, residue breakdown, surface crusting, ponding/infiltration, penetration resistance, water-stable aggregates, soil structure, soil color, plant roots, biological diversity and biopores.

After completing the first assessment, conservationists moved to Dallas Wright’s long-term no-till dryland field in Millsboro. The group debriefed and interviewed Mr. Wright to learn the history and current land management practices in use. Ms. Thomas and Mr. Koch guided conservationists through the soil health assessment noting how different management practices impact soil health and how differences in management impact the soil health indicators recorded in the assessment. Directly comparing the two operations was not recommended because numerous factors are at play such as irrigation, crop rotation, cover crop selection and soil types.

“This was a great opportunity for field staff to participate in hands-on training,” said Chelsea Hudson, conservation planning manager at Sussex Conservation District. “We learned techniques to assess soil health which can help producers across their operation, from reducing inputs to increasing yields.”

To learn more about soil health, contact your local USDA Service Center. In Sussex County, call 302-856-3990, ext. 3; in Kent County, call 302-741-2600, ext. 3; and in New Castle County, call 302-832-3100, ext. 3.