FREE, online soil health course...
Water Wise, Soil Smart
Healthier soil can mean better yields, reduced input costs, and improved water efficiency — building your farms resilience to drought years. Dive into the science and practice of soil health built specifically for the Rocky Mountain region. In Water Wise, Soil Smart you'll work through real producer challenges, learn to read soil test results with confidence, and walk away with management strategies you can actually put to work. The modules below are just PART ONE of a multi-part course we are developing. Stay tuned for more learning resources!
Module 1: Soil Health Challenges in Water-Limited Regions
Start here. Module 1 introduces what soil health means, why water is the defining constraint in semi-arid climates, and what's working against Rocky Mountain producers. At the end of this module, you'll be able to recognize the five key functions of healthy soil, recognize the region's most pressing soil health challenges, and connect your management decisions to the bigger environmental picture.
Photo (left): Erik Makic
Module 2: The Nuts & Bolts of Healthy Soil
You'll learn what soil is made of, how plants capture solar energy to fuel the whole ecosystem below ground, and which organisms are doing the heavy lifting. Most importantly, you'll see how all these pieces work together to infiltrate water into the soil and keep it there for when its needed most.
Digital illustration (right): Ellie Ellis
Hands-on Activity 1: Soil Texture by Feel
It's time to get your hands in the soil! In this guided activity you will learn how to determine your soil's texture using nothing but your own senses. You'll think through how your soil texture impacts water and nutrient cycling on your farm, and how this impacts your approach to soil health.
Earn an official badge through CSU Ag Upskilling!
Want to earn a micro-credential through Colorado State University's Ag Upskilling Program? A badge demonstrating your new soil health knowledge and skills can go a long ways. Prepare for your ag degree, add the badge to your resume, or show your employer your dedication to continued learning. You'll gain access to quizzes, hands-on activities and other resources, only available on the Extension Foundation website. Also, this course may soon count towards CEUs for Certified Crop Advisors. Stay tuned!
Module 3: The Nature and Nurture of Soil Health
Module 3 takes an honest look at how conventional agriculture can disrupt the systems that keep soil functioning, what degraded soil looks like in the field, and what we can learn by comparing cropland to the native ecosystems it replaced. Plus, you'll hear directly from farmers that are successfully implementing soil health practices in a range of cropping systems in Colorado.
Photo (left): Erik Makic
Hands-on Activity 2: Using Web Soil Survey
Did you know you have a world of soil information at your fingertips? In this activity, you'll learn how to use Web Soil Survey to access information about your soil. While nothing can replace the value of direct soil testing, this is a great place to start to understand the your soil and what drives variability.
Module 4: How to Collect Soil Samples & Assess Soil Health in the Field
You can't manage what you don't measure... Module 4 walks you through the difference between soil health testing and traditional fertility testing, how to collect quality samples, and how to run simple in-field assessments both with and without field instruments.
Photo (right): Erik Makic
Hands-on Activity 3: In-Field Soil Health Assessment
In this activity, you'll practice observing you soil and the ecosystems it sustains. You'll develop skills to recognize when something is out of balance, and think through management options to address problems before they progress. These assessments are designed to be used early and often. Don't have cropland to assess? No problem! You can practice these assessments in a community garden, a public park, or even your own backyard.
Module 5: Interpreting Soil Tests to Improve Soil Health
In the fifth and final module of the Soil Health Explorer badge, you'll learn to interpret soil health tests, including the chemical, physical, and biological properties they assess. We'll also practice transforming those results into realistic, actionable soil health goals. This module is a bit more advanced - it is intended for learners who will be working directly with soil health indicators and helping folks interpret them.
Photo (left): Erik Makic
More resources coming soon!
We are creating lots of useful resources, including decision support trees, farmer testimonials, Do-It-Yourself Soil Health Testing tutorials, and more! Stay tuned as more resources become available.
This work is supported by:
