On-Farm Soil Monitoring for Water Resource Protection Evaluating Field Practice Impact on Soil Health & Quality Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service

Conduct a Field Assessment First Use the Purdue Extension publication “Field Assessment for Water Resource Protection”.

Then, Monitor the Changes You Make Monitoring provides feedback: Are you making progress? Are the changes you made creating positive results?

Why Monitor Soils? Soil quality and health has direct links with: Productivity Environmental quality.

An On-Farm Soil Monitoring Approach Farmer driven Easy to do Increases soil quality knowledge Evaluates impact of practices Leads to better decision making

Two Fundamental Approaches to Soil Monitoring Take measurements annually to identify trends Compare results with a baseline condition

Monitoring Soil Quality Indicators on the Farm Water Infiltration Rate Earthworm Count Soil Aggregate Stability Soil Compaction Test Plant & Residue Cover

The Monitoring Kit Easy to put together Items usually already on hand Kit will fit in a five gallon bucket, plus a shovel

Preparing to Monitor Obtain a copy of the publication, “On- Farm Soil Monitoring for Water Resource Protection, (WQ-43)”

Preparing to Monitor Spring and Fall are best times to monitor Select sample sites that are representative of the entire field OR, a problem spot you are concerned about

Preparing to Monitor Make copies of the record sheet Fill in cropping, management, soil and weather, and field history information on the record sheet

Water Infiltration Rate Infiltration rate simulates how quickly it takes soil to absorb rain water. Shorter infiltration times are better since less runoff from the field will occur.

Water Infiltration Rate Method Find a level spot. Carefully clear a work area by clipping any vegetation at the surface. Drive a 6 inch diameter ring (irrigation pipe or coffee can with both ends removed) into the soil 3 inches deep. Line the ring with plastic wrap Pour in 1 pint of water (2 cups or 463 ml), remove plastic wrap and track the amount of time it takes for this water to infiltrate.

Earthworms Earthworms improve infiltration and help aerate the soil. Cover crops, no-till field practices, and adding animal manure to fields all improve earthworm populations.

Earthworm Counts Dig a 1 foot cubed hole, gently placing soil in a five gallon bucket Search through the soil for earthworms 10 or more earthworms found per hole indicates a healthy soil

Soil Aggregate Stability Aggregate stability is the ability of an aggregate to resist disruption from water. Soil with poor aggregate stability can result in water quality problems.

Soil Aggregate Stability Method 3 macro-aggregates place in pint jar of water gently swirl, observe vigorously swirl, observe

Soil Aggregate Stability These aggregates survived vigorous swirling A different soil dissolved after gentle swirling

Soil Compaction Compacted soils result in less water infiltration and poorer plant root development. Deep-rooting plants, cover crops, and no-till cropping practices all help relieve compacted soils.

Soil Compaction Method Using a wire marking flag, or ¼” wire rod at 18” long, penetrate the soil 12” deep noting degree of resistance and depth of any compacted layers.

Plant & Residue Cover Plant and residue cover protects the soil from adverse factors such as wind, rain, and direct sunlight Fields with bare spots or bare soil are at risk of erosion and runoff problems

Plant & Residue Cover Method Use a tape measure at least 25 feet long. Imagine a rain drop hitting the surface exactly at each foot mark. Would the rain drop hit a live plant, plant residue, or bare soil? Count the number of occurrences of plant and plant residue Enter the percent plant cover on the record sheet

Enter the results on the record sheet

Using the Results Monitor trends and changes in soil quality in the same field over time Make side-by-side comparisons (within the same soil types) of different management systems Compare field results to an undisturbed ecosystem Compare problem and non-problem areas within a field

How to obtain materials Call toll free to Purdue Extension EXT-INFO and ask for WQ-43. Click on ‘Field Assessment’ at waterquality. waterquality Ask your County Extension Educator

On-Farm Soil Monitoring Helps You: Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service Evaluate the impact of field practices Increase your soil quality knowledge Make better decisions about field cropping practices