NMSU to host two-day soil health workshop online Sept. 22-23

Increasing drought conditions and climate change are making enhanced soil resilience an important tool to withstand extreme environmental conditions and to sustain agricultural production.

Soil health assessment and management has become very important in New Mexico to help preserve soils and to rejuvenate soils that are already degraded.

New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service will host a two-day soil health webinar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 22 and 23, to address the training needs of producers, agriculture support professionals, Extension educators, and other stakeholders in New Mexico.

“Utilizing soil health principles can build the needed soil resilience that will enable producers to remain profitable in the face of weather uncertainties,” said John Idowu, NMSU Extension agronomist. “The workshop will address fundamental aspects of soil health as well as applied soil management for cropland and rangeland.”

Resource persons from NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service, and private organizations will present sessions on soil health assessment and management.

Topics to be covered include the physical, chemical and biological soil properties in relation to soil health management. Other topics will include cover cropping, crop rotation, livestock integration into cropping systems, tillage management, organic amendments, grazing/pasture management and cropland/rangeland assessment.

The workshop is sponsored by the Healthy Soil Program initiative coordinated by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture.

The Healthy Soil Program was enacted by the New Mexico Legislature to provide education on soil health assessment and management in New Mexico.

Registration is free for all participants. Pre-register at https://rsvp.nmsu.edu/rsvp/soilhealth2 to receive the agenda and the Zoom link for the workshop.

NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences has several Extension publications regarding soil health. Access the publications at https://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/#agronomy.