When organic matter, earthworms and plants growing in test tubes aren’t enough to get farmers interested in soil health, Iowa State University’s Mahdi Al-Kaisi brings Kool-Aid and underpants to his demonstrations. Al-Kaisi, professor of soil management/environment and Extension soil and water specialist, believes in getting the attention of those involved in production agriculture so they begin to understand. He wants to engage farmers in conversations about conservation agricultural systems that benefit soil health.

Dirty hands come with exploring soil health

“Soil health involves soil characteristics that sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain and enhance water and air quality, and promote plant and animal health,” says Al-Kaisi. “Soil organic matter is the single most important contributor to soil health because of its effects on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils.”

Soil health demonstrations at the ISU exhibit at the 2016 Farm Progress Show illustrated what organic matter does in the soil -- things like increasing soil fertility and providing food for soil microorganisms. Al-Kaisi and his team invited visitors to discover how organic matter improves soil water holding capacity and binds soil particles together in ways that improve soil structure, water infiltration, and soil, water and air movement.

Healthy soil, healthy crops
ISU agronomists point to management practices such as reducing random travel on the field, including mixed cover crops in crop rotation and keeping residue on the soil surface as those that improve soil health. “Crop residue traps soil moisture as snow and protects the soil from rain and wind erosion. It allows for the gentle infiltration of rain water to recharge the soil and decomposition contributes to nutrients and carbon to the soil,” says Al-Kaisi.

Al-Kaisi recently published several resources on Iowa soil health: a field guide, management manual and health assessment card. “IOWA SOIL HEALTH – Management Manual” highlights easy-to-understand relationships between soil properties that are useful to all professionals managing soil health. These and other soil health publications are available from the ISU Extension Store at store.extension.iastate.edu/. The Iowa Soil Health Field Guide highlights the relationship between soil characteristics and provides information about soil health and its importance to sustainable agriculture systems. The Iowa Soil Health Management Manual provides information about soil functions and services that are essential for sustainable agriculture systems, and the Iowa Soil Health Assessment Card includes rating descriptions for each indicator presented on the score card that represents the worst and best soil conditions at the time of evaluation.

“These educational materials explain the concept of soil health as well as promote soil health,” says Al-Kaisi. “The soil assessment card is easy to use in diagnosing soil health field indicators and potential solutions or recommendations to improve soil health.”

Print and electronic versions of the publications are now available online at the Extension Store. The publications are free of charge; a shipping and handling fee is required for the print versions. For questions regarding the publications or information about soil health, contact Al-Kaisi at 515-294-8304 or [email protected].

Klein is an advancement specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.