With its deep taproots and ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, alfalfa has the potential to be an outlet for high-carbon materials like almond shell by-products

We are all familiar with the three primary nutrients required by plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)

One of the soil functions of widespread interest to country and city dwellers alike is providing a firm foundation, either for growing plants or for the variety of buildings that we house our livestock,

Is it safe to assume that we all look forward to a bit of spring green up?

Have you ever wondered how all those cattle dung patties simply disappear from one year to the next?

When evaluating the quality of land for farming, one of the key features of interest will be its organic matter content

Montana livestock producers typically require two to four months of stored feed to overwinter cattle, and this is generally the largest annual variable cost to ranches

In the February 2023 issue of this column, I introduced the forces binding soil into water-stable aggregates

In the March 2024 issue of this column, it was questioned whether pastures were just right in maturity or too old and in need of renovation

Farmers currently have more options for crop inputs than ever before

Out of sight, out of mind! This adage can certainly apply to our view of soil and the organisms that live in it

This edition of Sunrise on Soil offers some ethical and spiritual musings of soil

Organic matter is a key indicator of soil health and soil function, affecting the natural supply of nutrients, buffering against pH changes, softening soil to resist compaction, holding more water for

Carbon is fundamental to all life. It forms the backbone structure of carbohydrates (composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen), which are the initial products from the miraculous process of photosynthesis

To have healthy, functioning grasslands that are nutritious as livestock forage, productive over time, resilient in the face of periodic droughts, that resist the erosive action of intense thunderstorms,

Have you ever wondered why clay soils have such a good ability to absorb water? And yet, these same soils can become muddied and are prone to standing water in wheel tracks from vehicles traversing a

Each morning, we experience some of the many services of soil — soft cotton fibers from which to arise, clean water to wash our face, firm ground to stand on, and the aromas of brewed coffee, baking