I used to tell my Ag Ed students that soil was like a human, a living breathing organism. Soil has air, water, nutrients and living organisms that compose its structure. Just like a human, it takes many years to grow and mature and soil cannot be replenished quickly. Keeping our soil in place is an important factor to soil health and improvement. Actively growing plants provide resources for microorganisms to live within our soils. Keep your soil in your field and actively thriving through the non-crop times of the year by keeping a blanket on it by using cover crops best suited for your fields. And yes, when I say fields that also mean garden areas too (raised or in ground). Oh, and with forage being at at premium due to our poor weather conditions for harvesting hay and pasture growth, some cover crops can be grazed by livestock! Read more about “Soil health at risk on fallow fields..”
