Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton

Overview

The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton project aims to increase the adoption of soil health management systems among cotton producers while documenting environmental and economic benefits. The project provides farmer-focused education and training events delivered by Soil Health Institute scientists, partnering with local soil health technical specialists and farmer mentors who have implemented successful soil health management systems.

Programs

Farmer Showcase

In these videos, cotton producers and soil health specialists across eight cotton-growing regions spanning the United States discussed the challenges and successes they have encountered on their journey to improve soil health. Each speaker summarized how producers are making essential soil health practices like no-till and cover crops work under local soil and climate conditions.

Evaluating Soil Health Systems in the Field

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Evaluating Benefits of Soil Health

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Biological Indications of Healthy Soils

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Organic Matter in Healthy Soils

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Evaluating Soil Health in a Degraded Soil

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Soil Health Cards

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Soil Disintegration Test

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Beginning a Soil Health Journey

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Farmer Mentor Network

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Soil Health Challenges in the Delta: What Works and What Doesn’t

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Soil Health in Texas: Lessons from Long-term Study Sites

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Soil Health in Arkansas: Is it Profitable?

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California: Improving Soil Health in a Dry Climate

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Georgia: Soil Health in a Cotton and Peanut Rotation

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North Carolina/Virginia: Soil Health - View from the Cotton Gin

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Carolinas: Lessons from Eight Years of Regenerative Agriculture

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Why Soil Health is Important to the Future of U.S. Cotton

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Farmers Experience with Adoption - Texas High Plains

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Farmers Experience with Adoption - Crosby County, TX

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Farmers Experience with Adoption - Terry County, TX

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Farmers Experience with Adoption - Dawson & Lynn County, TX

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Farmers Experience with Adoption - Dawson County, TX

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Cotton & Covers

Cotton & Covers follows the soil health journey of three coastal plain cotton producers as they shared their stories and experiences to improve the health and productivity of their farms. The five soil health management principles of reducing disturbance, armoring the soil, keeping living roots in soil, increasing plant diversity, and incorporating livestock were discussed.

Introducing Cotton & Covers: The Soil Health Journey of Three Farmers

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Reducing Disturbance

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Getting Started with Cover Crops

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Multispecies Cover Crops

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Next Level Diversity

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Incorporating Livestock

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Virtual Field Days

Soil Health Institute Virtual Field Days and Webinars provide soil health training for cotton producers who were unable to attend in-person field day workshops or advanced trainings. The webinars include tours of cotton farms in Arkansas and South Carolina.

Building Soil Health in Arkansas

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Cotton Soil – Conventional and No-Till

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Introducing the Furrow Runner Plow

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Cover Crop Seed Selection

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Cover Crop Seed Mixes

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Wide Row Cotton

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Soil Health in Richland County (South Carolina)

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Measuring Bulk Density

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Measuring Soil Temperature

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Principles of Regenerative Agriculture

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Warm Season Cover Crop Mixes

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Warm Season Cover Crop Growth

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Wrapping Up in Richland County

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Webinars

The Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton webinar series covers topics such as soil health basics, linking soil biology to soil health, soil health planning principles, ecological pest and nutrient management, cover crop management, and planning a soil health management system.

Episode 1: Soil Health Basics with David Lamm, Project Manager, the Soil Health Institute

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Episode 2: Linking Soil Biology to Soil Health with Dr. Jennifer Moore-Kucera, Climate Initiative Director, American Farmland Trust

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Episode 3: Soil Health Planning Principles with Willie Durham, Soil Health Specialist, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service

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Episode 4: Ecological Nutrient Management with Dr. Buz Kloot, Associate Professor, University of South Carolina

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Episode 5: Ecological Pest Management with Dr. Jason Schmidt, Assistant Professor and Schmidt Biocontrol Lab Director, University of Georgia

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Episode 6: Cover Crop Management with Nathan Lowder, Soil Health Specialist, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service

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Episode 7: Planning a Soil Health Management System with David Lamm, Project Manager, the Soil Health Institute

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A Brief History - Soil Health Systems for California Cotton

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Recent Advances - Soil Health Systems for California Cotton

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Local Research Base - Soil Health Systems for California Cotton

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Regenerating Soil Aggregates - Soil Health Systems for California Cotton

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Funders

Healthy Soils for Sustainable Cotton is supported through the generosity of the Wrangler® brand, the VF Corporation Foundation, and the Walmart Foundation.

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