Stark Sustainable Soil Initiative
Sustainable Agriculture
Heather Neikirk
Extension Educator
Ohio State University Extension
Massillon
Abstract
The issue of global water quality and its relationship to healthy soil and sustainable ecosystems led to a unique collaboration between The Ohio State University (OSU) Extension Program, university researchers at OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Rattan Lal Carbon Management and Sequestration Center (CMASC), the Herbert W. Hoover (HWH) Foundation and a group of local producers. The project, identified as the Stark Sustainable Soils Initiative, provides relevant small farm field research, educational programs and materials, and applicable knowledge that 1) benefits local producers’ understanding and decisions about soil health and sustainable agricultural practices and 2)provides relevant outcomes for assessing the carbon footprint of small landholder production systems on the most common soil type in the county, Canfield silt-loam. This five-year (2020-2024), $500,000 study engages twelve participating small farms located across Stark County (Northeastern), Ohio, as research sites to assess the impact of farm management practices on soil health, crop yield and nutritional quality. Each field site has five mapped GPS locations where soil cores, crop staging and yield measurements, and nutritional quality samples were collected, analyzed, and correlated alongside farm management survey data from each operation. Two additional in-field assessments were added and conducted this past year. The first focused on measuring soil carbon through digital imaging and the second investigated soil microbial communities and their activity under various tillage and fertilizer management systems. A summary report of all data, including trends and highlights for each field site was prepared and shared with individual farmer participants via an in-person or virtual summary visit. The project has also hosted two annual Town Hall Meetings for participating producers and the interested public to learn more about the project and to share a summary of the collective results, impacts and notable findings to date associated with the initiative.
Authors: Heather A. Neikirk
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Heather A. Neikirk Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension Stark County, Ohio, 44646