News From Our District Conservation Technician, Camryn Riddell

Soil Armor

Our newsletter is called Mesa Conservation Resource Connection, as it connects us to you! One of my personal favorite connections to see is the way that natural resources connect, from animals and wildlife, to water, to plants, to soil, and it goes on and on. Our Resource Connection newsletters will be focused on natural resources. Whether the focus is on water, soil, wildlife, pollinators, air quality, invasive or native species, best conservation practices, specific projects, and more, this newsletter will bring you closer to vital resources and conservation work.

Just in time for the growing season, this month’s resource connection newsletter is about soil armor!

The Five Principles of Soil Health

The Five Principles of Soil Health provide a framework for creating the healthiest soil possible for your site. The Five Principles of Soil Health are:

Soil Armor, Minimize Disturbance, Maximize Presence of Living Roots, Plant Diversity, and Livestock Integration, and all five are valuable to different aspects of soil health.

While all Five Principles have different focuses, they overlap to support and benefit each other. Using the Five Principles, you are able to combine different soil practices that work best for your specific site needs and wants. To best highlight the Five Principles of Soil Health, I will be digging into them one at a time.

Soil Armor, and/or soil cover, represents a protective layer over the soil to combat erosion and other negative effects on your soil. Popular examples of soil armor include crop residue and cover crops.

What are the benefits of a healthy soil armor?

Erosion Control – Soil cover can protect soil from the erosion that occurs with water and/or wind. With high winds in spring or heavy rain monsoon events that can occur here in Mesa County, it is vital to protect your soils. Not only can wind and water erosion move soils, but in eroding the soil and organic matter, the soil also loses vital nutrients. 

Evaporation Control – Water and soil moisture are vital in an area with limited water resources. Soil cover reduces the soil evaporation rates by maintaining cooler soil temperatures, which keeps more moisture available for plant use.

Maintaining Moderate Soil Temperatures – Soil armor allows for a more moderate range of soil temperatures. The cover can protect from hot summer temperatures and strong sunlight, and can be beneficial in colder winter temperatures as well. Maintaining the living roots by having cover crops keeps soil moist. The living organisms that are a part of the living soil food web depend on moisture and regulated temperatures for a better chance of survival.

Combating Compaction – Soil cover dissipates rainfall so that water does not overwhelm and cause compaction to soil.

Suppresses Weed Growth – Cover will block some sunlight, which prevents more weed growth. Also, by covering areas with native plants and beneficial cover crops, you prevent invasive species and detrimental weeds from growing in those places.

Provides Habitat – The soil is healthiest when the soil food web is healthiest. Nematodes, bacteria, fungi, plants, animals, and more make up the network of organisms present in the soil food web. The soil food web breaks down organic matter, cycles nutrients, improves soil structure, and supports healthy plant growth. By providing a habitat for these organisms, you allow a strong soil web and more nutrient-dense soil.

Photos: Left - Vineland Enterprises, Right - Mosher Talley Orchards

How do you create or maintain soil cover?

Soil cover can be done in different ways; two popular options are crop residue and cover crops.

Crop residue can provide soil cover benefits, but one of the best options for maintaining great soil health is cover crops because this practice maximizes the presence of living roots, maintains soil moisture, allows for more plant diversity and nutrients in the soil, and provides cover to the soil to protect against compaction, evaporation, erosion, and more. Cover crops can also be beneficial to wildlife & pollinators, especially when you incorporate pollinator-friendly and flowering plants, and incorporate plants that flower at differing times throughout the year.

With a multitude of benefits from soil cover, there is another important one: cover crops have also been shown to increase crop quality and crop yields. Not only are they beneficial to the soil itself and the ecosystem it creates, but they also directly benefit crops. Soil cover allows for resiliency in differing climates with a variety of weather and water availability.

Since 1963, Mesa Conservation District has been your local conservation partner, working hard to support thousands of producers to ensure their sustainability and resiliency in the face of many challenges.

Want to learn more about Mesa Conservation District does for our local community? Check out our website below to learn more about past projects, upcoming events, and available resources:

Mesa Conservation District is dedicated to bringing to our community. You can play a part in these local sustainability and conservation efforts and help conserve our priceless natural resources by making a financial donation of any amount below.

Thank you for your consideration and support!