The Soil Health Institute (SHI) today released its 4th Annual Meeting Report ”SOIL HEALTH: A Global Imperative.”
During the SHI Annual Meeting, which took place July 16-18, 2019, in Sacramento, California, soil health leaders discussed the roles farmers, ranchers and foresters play as key drivers of positive change through their investments in soils. In addition, participants discussed how stakeholders, including manufacturers, conservation-focused foundations and policy makers, can contribute to advancing soil health globally.
Currently, SHI is evaluating more than 30 different indicators of soil health in order to provide the agricultural industry with a short list of the most effective measurements farmers and ranchers can use to improve soil health. Moreover, Dr. Wayne Honeycutt, SHI President and CEO, described projects to evaluate the profitability of soil health systems on both farm and research settings; a new farmer-led soil health training program; and research on how soil health relates to water quality, carbon sequestration, and productivity.
During the meeting, soil health leaders discussed new provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill, which will impact the U.S. soil health movement. They also reviewed soil health practices that provide a demonstrated return on investment. Finally, participants looked towards the future, identifying benefits that may arise from better understanding the soil microbiome, soil health-human health relationships, and others.
The annual meeting report is available here.
Videos of annual meeting presentations are available here.