Treating “sick soils” isn’t as simple as applying a Band-Aid or injecting an antibiotic. A permanent path to recovery requires a thorough diagnosis and an incremental plan. Harold van Es, a professor of soil science at Cornell University and chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, has been digging into the dynamics of developing healthy soils and strong biological activity.

His team developed the Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) framework, which includes the measurement of 16 soil health indicators that represent important processes in the soil. CASH can be used to identify specific problems related to physical, biological and chemical concerns in the soil, and CASH reports allow for targeted management approaches.

Van Es will discuss how different management practices impact biological, physical and chemical indicators and what strip-tillers can learn from those variables to improve soil biology.

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The 2018 National Strip-Tillage Conference Video Replay is brought to you by Ingersoll Tillage Group.