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THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF SOIL HEALTH

Keep the Soil Covered can limit how much moisture leaves your fields from the
sun and wind. Good soil cover is like armor, protecting bare
Do you value your soil? If you do and want to improve it, soil from sprouting weeds which saves money, time, and
soil cover or armor is essential. Soil cover offers the same moisture. A diverse mix of plants will release root exudates
protection to soil as a spacesuit does to an astronaut in (sugars) into the soil to feed the microbes which are work-
space. It provides an environment that protects and allows ing to create soil aggregation (glues) to keep our soil ready
life to flourish even in harsh conditions. Soil cover is an for when we do receive rain.
investment that makes soil more resilient during extreme
weather events. Drought, flood, heat, and cold can all be
buffered by a properly covered soil.
On our dryland Kansas farm/ranch we use cover to feed
both our above ground livestock (cattle) and our below
ground livestock (microbes). If you are grazing livestock, Photo by Chrisi Lemke Pinto and Jerry Lahners
it is important to leave plenty of residue, not only to armor
and protect the soil but also as food for the microbes. Don’t
be afraid to “waste” grazing material. As the picture shows,
residue feeds the soil and then soil feeds the livestock! Soil
residue also buffers soil temperatures, keeping them cooler
during the summer and warmer in the winter, allowing mi-
crobial life to stay alive and working longer.

In the wetter years, soil cover limits the impact of raindrops
hitting my soil. It is estimated that raindrops can hit a soil
at 90 miles per hour (same impact as hitting it with a sledge
hammer). When this happens, small particles of soil are dis-
Photo by Michael Thompson lodged and plug up the soil pores and prevents water infil-

tration. Nothing is more heartbreaking to a dryland farmer
to see fast-flowing water rushing off fields when rain cannot
infiltrate the soil…except maybe the soil loss from erosion
that is caused by this! Proper soil cover, coupled with both
On our operation we see dry weather more often than not. living and decaying roots, keeps the soil pore space open
While it may sound counterintuitive, I look at having some- and allows moisture to be infiltrated deep into the subsoil
thing growing and producing cover and residue as an es- to be stored for future crops.
sential part of our strategy to combat drought. I never have Just as an astronaut would never go into space without his
found that fallow improved our soil, nor did I get a check protective suit and a knight would never go into battle with-
for the banking of soil moisture, so I choose to fill my fallow out their protective armor, you should never farm without
periods with something growing. I am not saying that just the protective cover your soil needs. Soil cover is an invest-
seeding random crops is a good idea, but rather be a student ment in the future productivity of your soil resource!
of the soil. Dig some holes and see what your soil needs and
then plant with a purpose and design a mix of plants that By Michael Thompson • Almena, KS
will help improve your soil for future crops. Thompson Farm & Ranch

Good soil cover limits evaporation forces such as the sun Michael is a farmer and rancher in both KS and NE and is a
passionate Regenerative Agriculture spokesman. He also
and the ever-present wind found here on the Great Plains. serves as president of the Colorado Conservation Tillage
Association and is very involved in educating people about
You cannot make it rain more during a drought, but you Soil Health principles.

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